Finding Marie
by LadyV77
Summary: Rogue, feeling out of place in Xavier's school, leaves the mansion and ends up at the Brotherhood House. RogueJoseph for now. Rating for language and some violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Finding Marie

**Summary:** Logan leaves to find out more about his past after the events on the Statue of Liberty, and a disillusioned Rogue leaves the mansion to find her own path. PG-13 for language and violence.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Marvel, so obviously I don't own the X-Men.

**Spoilers/Continuity:** Set immediately after X1 (starts during X1), includes many spoilers from X2.

**Author's Notes:** My own twist on Rogue leaving the X-Mansion and joining the Brotherhood. And yes, I checked my Statue of Liberty facts, the Statue _is_ 305 feet tall.

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"_Somebody help him_!" Rogue screamed when the wounds on Logan's body started releasing rivulets of blood.

Below and across from her, she could see Cyclops and Jean Grey looking for a way to get to them while Storm rose into the air using her control of the weather. Instead of landing near Rogue and Logan, however, the white-haired woman called forth a fog to surround the torch and the part of the Statue of Liberty Cyclops and Jean were on. No one would be able to see the activity from below now, Rogue realized vaguely. But how could she possibly care about witnesses when the man who had just saved her life might be dying?

Logan's voice inside her head told her to break free of her bonds. Rogue fisted her bare hands and pulled with all her might. The combined might of her will and Logan's borrowed strength. Though the metal cuffs dug into her wrists, breaking the delicate skin and smearing blood on her pale flesh, the tethers attaching the cuffs to Magneto's machine eventually snapped, allowing her to move toward her savior's still body.

Rogue collapsed beside him on her knees, relieved beyond anything she had words for when she saw that his pulse still beat in the hollow of his neck. Carefully, she pulled his upper body by the sholders of his uniform so that his head was resting in her lap. She took the scarf from around her neck and pressed it against as many of Logan's wounds as she could. Tears slipped from her eyes at the evidence of self-inflicted wounds he had chosen to cause in order to save her from Erik (calling him Magneto when he was in her head was way too formal). She would recognize the pattern of those sets of three stab wounds anywhere.

Logan had brought her back from the dead; she knew that from his memories of the time leading up to when she had opened her eyes, gasping for breath. And he had done it knowing it might mean his own death.

She tried to dig into Logan's memories to see why he would go that far to keep his promise to her, but Erik's personality surfaced and the memories of the two men, and some she recognized as ones she had picked up before ever meeting Logan, clashed. With effort, she suppressed the jumbled mix of images and voices and concentrated on the here and now.

With a rush of cold air, Storm landed beside her.

"Is he..."

"He's alive," Rogue answered, cutting off the older woman. She really didn't want to think about what was still a possibility. Logan was the only real friend she had, what would she do if she lost him? "But it took too much to revive me, he isn't healing and all the wounds he got in the fight with Sabretooth are back."

Just then Jean and Cyclops joined them. Jean knelt beside Rogue and unthinkingly laid a comforting hand on the younger woman's fist. The connection had just barely started when Rogue snatched her bare hand away.

"Don't!" she growled.

Logan's affection for the redhead made her feel guilty about her abruptness, but she really didn't want anyone else vying for dominance of her mind at the moment.

"Sorry," Jean said softly. "I wasn't thinking."

Rogue nodded dismissively and Jean quickly looked over Logan's injuries.

"We need to get him to the Blackbird as soon as possible, Scott," the doctor told her fiancé.

Cyclops looked down over 300 feet to where the Blackbird was barley visible, resting quietly on the water. He frowned and glanced at Storm.

"I can't fly him that far," she said apologetically, correctly guessing what he was going to suggest. "It's too dangerous and I believe Jean has exhausted herself too much to try to stabilize him for that long."

Rogue clamped down on the panic rising in her chest and squeezed her eyes shut. While Cyclops and Jean debated the best way to get Logan down off the statue, Rogue took a deep breath and pulled Erik to the front of her mind. Surprisingly, the echo of the man who had almost – well, actually he had – killed her was happy for the opportunity to make it up to her.

Rogue opened her eyes so she could make sure she was headed in the right direction and told the three X-Men in cultured European tones, "Steady yourselves."

She couldn't see Cyclop's eyes behind his visor, but Jean gave her a startled look. She felt Jean try to probe her mind, something both Logan and Erik protested loudly.

"Please stop," Rogue begged the other woman in her own softly-accented voice. "Let me do what I can to help him while I still have the chance."

Jean hesitated only a moment before nodding. Rogue glanced at Scott; the X-Men's leader gave her a small 'go ahead' dip of his head as well. Rogue refused to let go of Logan completely, lifting only one hand from the now blood-soaked scarf and motioning to what was left of the machine that so recently had drained the life from her.

After a moment of merely shaking, the metal pieces broke free, flying harmlessly into the dark ocean far below. Rogue took another deep breath and concentrated on the metal platform they were on. A streak of incredible pain flashed through her head, but with Erik and Logan's help, she pushed it aside for later. With a terrible metallic creak, they broke free of the Statue of Liberty, hovering in the air.

Storm lifted off again, saying softly to Rogue, "Follow me, child."

Using the weather witch's brilliant hair as a beacon, Rogue levitated and propelled the platform until it bobbed gently in the water beside the Blackbird. Knowing it would sink the moment she let go, Rogue reluctantly motioned for Jean and Cyclops to carry Logan away from her and into the jet. As soon as they were inside, she created a magnetic energy field around herself and levitated above their temporary transportation. She let go of her control of it, watching it sink instantly into the water.

For a split second she reveled in the feel of the air brushing against her everywhere. So this is what it was like to fly. She felt giddy for a moment. But Logan was injured and it was her fault and they needed to get him back to the mansion. Rogue landed lightly just inside the door and shut down all the magnetic powers she had been using.

Rogue staggered, physically drained of energy. Erik and his cronies hadn't expected her to survive the machine on the torch, so they hadn't fed her, and fear had robbed her of any chance at sleep once the sedative had worn off.

Someone inside her head, 'they' wouldn't let her know who, bolstered her internally. Warmth flowed through her, encasing her just under the layer of her skin. It almost felt like a hug, like someone who loved her was trying to comfort her. It was such a welcome but unexpected feeling that tears pricked her eyes.

Shaking off the introspection, Rogue chose the seat closest to where Jean was bandaging Logan as Cyclops lay in the course back to the mansion. Storm was assisting Jean. Rogue felt a little left out, wanting to help Logan, but she knew without gloves she would only end up hurting someone. So she curled into her seat and watched Jean and Storm while the people in her head fought. Though the jet made the flight back to Westchester very short, it still seemed to take forever to Rogue.

Rogue followed at a careful distance as Logan was carried to the lab to be placed on the examining table beside the one Xavier occupied, still unconscious. She cringed from the smells of sterilizer and disinfectant. Jean efficiently cleaned Logan's wounds after cutting him from his torn and bloodied uniform.

Rogue's stomach rolled when she saw all the wounds Logan had suffered because of her, but she kept herself under control. She knew the others had been trying to save the dignitaries Erik had been trying to turn into mutants, but Logan hadn't come to play hero to the faceless masses. He had risked his life to save hers. Because he had made a promise. And no matter what he didn't know about himself, he knew he was a man of his word.

After a couple minutes, Cyclops noticed her lurking out of the way in the corner. He left the room and came back with a pair of X-Men team sweats, a pullover sweater and a pair of leather gloves that had silver piping, signifying that they matched Storm's uniform. He handed the bundle over to her carefully and wordlessly indicated a screen on the other side of the room.

Rogue knew if she opened her mouth she'd start to cry, so she thanked him with her eyes. Somehow Cyclops knew that she didn't want to be away from Logan. Not until she knew her one friend in the world was going to be fine. That he hadn't really sacrificed his life for hers. Rogue hurried to the relative privacy of the area behind the screen and changed her clothes quickly. Her own clothes had been stained with Logan's blood and she reluctantly tossed them into the trash. It was a physical ache to get rid of the only things she had left of the life she had lived before her mutation had shown itself.

There was a sink with a small mirror above it in the corner and Rogue moved forward to wash her face. She caught sight of herself and froze. Something white had fluttered in her line of vision a few times on the Statue of Liberty after Logan had revived her, but she had never registered that it was a part of her. But now Rogue could clearly see in the mirror that a fair portion of the hair framing her face had turned white. Had Erik's machine done this to her? She fingered the white strands carefully for a moment before tucking them back behind her ears.

Rogue was struck by the realization that her changed hair color wasn't the only thing that made her appear older. Her eyes reflected what she had been through, as well as what a few of the people in her head had been through. Anyone who truly looked at her would never mistake her for a girl again.

When she had washed her face, Rogue came out from behind the screen to find herself alone with Jean and the two unconscious men. Logan was clean and bandaged, and two IVs, one with blood and the other a clear liquid Rogue couldn't identify, were feeding into his arm. There were also a couple monitors hooked up to her hero, keeping track of his breathing and pulse. It hurt her to see him looking so helpless. Why wasn't his healing factor kicking back in yet?

Rogue thought about asking Jean if she had a theory yet, but she wasn't quite ready to hear that it was her fault from someone other than herself and the voices in her head. Prepared to argue her way into staying with Logan until he woke, Rogue was surprised to note that someone had brought a comfortable chair into the room and placed it by Logan's bed. A blanket and pillow had also been thoughtfully provided. The blanket and pillow from the room she had shared with two other girls only a couple nights before she had been kidnapped.

Jean smiled a sad little smile at Rogue. "Need me to give you a once over?"

Rogue shook her head, fidgeting with the gloves that were a little big on her hands.

"Logan..." she choked out, slamming her mouth shut again when sobs threatened to escape.

Jean gave Rogue a sympatheitc, understanding look when she trailed off. The red-haired doctor motioned to the phone on the wall.

"If you need anything or if there's any sort of change in either one of them, please page me immediately."

Rogue nodded and Jean turned to check Xavier's vitals once more before turning away.

As the older woman reached the door, Rogue called out softly, "Thank you, Jean."

Jean gave her another small smile and a nod before leaving. Rogue wandered over to Logan and looked down at his peaceful face. She sighed, knowing that if he didn't pull out of this, she would never forgive herself. Her body once again reminded her of how exhausted she was, and Rogue sank into the chair someone had brought in for her.

Rogue was fairly sure it was Cyclops. He was more than just Fearless Leader of the X-Men, despite his young age he was the school's second father figure after Xavier, and with the Professor out of commission for the time being, Cyclops was taking on the full responsibilities instead of just his own share. Her sudden insight seemed strange for a split second before remembering Jean's brief touch back at the Statue of Liberty. She must have picked something up from the redhead after all.

Rogue curled her feet up under her and lay her head on the pillow at an angle from which she could still watch Logan. After a few minutes, her eyes drifted shut and she just stopped herself from screaming. The voices in her head were fighting again, taking advantage of her lowered guard. Pain sliced through her head and for a moment it felt like one of the other personalities was suffocating her. Tears escaping from the effort, Rogue stood abruptly and paced the area between Logan and Xavier's beds.

Xavier looked as peaceful as Logan, and Rogue was surprised at the tender affection she felt through Erik's presence in her mind. Though the two men were on opposite sides in the mutants versus the-rest-of-humanity debate, they had once been dear friends, and Erik still regretted their parting of ways. Since he was behaving, Rogue allowed Erik to dominate the other voices in her head. But her inner Logan didn't like that one bit and he let her know it. Control slipped again, eliciting more pain in the form of the other voices struggling against her consciousness, as well as against Erik and Logan's.

'Get out of my head,' she wanted to scream but couldn't. If anyone heard her, they would want to help her, and Rogue knew they couldn't. She wasn't sure anyone could, except perhaps Xavier, but he was out of commission. Rogue glanced over at the older man again.

If she touched Xavier, maybe his power could help her. Xavier was powerful. He had power that he was unwilling to use because he was so concerned about becoming what he fought against. It was one of the things that Erik had always resented about Xavier, even when they had been the best of friends: that Xavier had the power to change minds but he refused to do it. If Rogue could have that power, maybe she could control the minds that resided within her own.

Rogue abruptly dismissed the idea. Who knew what her touch would do to someone already in a coma? But as she turned to walk back to Logan's bedside, a female voice she hadn't heard in over three years urged her to do it. To take just a peak at what Xavier knew. Erik's voice joined the woman's, telling Rogue that Xavier knew something about Logan, about a lot of things.

Glancing around once to be sure she was still alone, Rogue tugged the ill-fitting glove from her right hand and very gently and quickly brushed Xavier's bare shoulder with a trembling fingertip.

In that one moment, everything changed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** _Italics_ signify emphasis, telepathic conversation or the voices in Rogue's head. Thoughts are signified by 'these'.

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Rogue felt as if she was being torn apart on the inside. Some part of her acknowledged that she had fallen to her knees in the lab, clutching her head in an effort to lessen the pain, but she also felt as if she were in every room of the mansion at the same time.

She could feel Jean's pain over not being able to do more for Xavier and Logan, and a lingering fear that had something to do with how much energy Jean had used at the Statue of Liberty. She could feel Cyclops' concern for Jean and his hope for the recovery of the man who was more of a father to him than his own had had the chance to be.

There were a lot of people in the mansion concerned about Xavier, some of them angry with she and Logan for coming into their lives and causing so much trouble. Still others, including Storm, Bobby Drake and the two girls who were her roommates, knew that if Rogue and Wolverine had not been with the X-Men first, Magneto's plan might never have been stopped and a lot of innocent people would be dead.

All of the voices, Rogue was sure there were hundreds of them, suddenly got louder and it was all she could do not to faint. She could feel Xavier's power reaching beyond the borders of the school's grounds and wanted to scream. She could not handle the voices of an entire city. It would kill her.

_Stop it, Charles. Hasn't the poor girl been through enough_?

The outside voices, the ones she had never touched, faded slightly and the tension in her head eased to where she didn't think it would kill her in the next few minutes.

_Plenty_, her inner Logan snarled at Erik. _And most of it is your fault, bub. You think you can make up for almost killing her by trying to put a leash on Chuck_?

Knowing they were each trying to protect her in their own way and thinking they might have a better chance if they weren't fighting each other all the time, Rogue concentrated every last bit of her strength on harnessing Xavier's powers to control all the people in her own mind.

'Both of you stop it', Rogue commanded. 'You both touched me the longest out of anyone, so you're going to be stuck with me. You're a part of me now, and I can't deal with fighting parts of myself and all the lesser voices in here.'

_OK, kid_.

_Of course, my dear. I was simply trying to help_.

'I know', she answered him tiredly. Rogue knew she would probably never forgive the real Magneto, that she'd probably try to kill him if given the chance, but hating a part of herself wouldn't help her in any way. 'Thank you, Erik.'

Rogue forced one eye open only to find herself gazing at the cool linoleum floor. She pushed herself up on shaking arms and half-crawled, half-dragged herself to her chair. Burying her aching head in her pillow, Rogue closed her eyes again. But peace was not to be hers, at least not yet.

_Why did you do it, Rogue? I would have been more than willing to help you once I woke up. It wasn't right to just take without asking_.

'I'm sorry', she sighed. 'I didn't think I could wait. And she said...'

_She who, Rogue_?

'She...I don't know who she is, I can't dig that deep right now. But she cares about me, and she said... She said you knew something about Logan. I wanted to know it, too.'

Xavier's voice was quiet for a little while. And what gives you the right to know something about Logan before even he knows it?

Rogue whimpered at the heavy disapproval and tried to shrink into a smaller ball. 'I don't know.'

_I will help you when I can, but you are to stay out of Logan's business. I will tell him what he needs to know when the time is right_.

Rogue let the Xavier in her head think that her silence meant that she agreed. Slowly, much slower than Rogue had expected considering how briefly she had touched him, Xavier's presence faded to the slight but constant hum the lesser voices in her head generally presented. Rogue made a mental note as she attempted once more to rest. The more powerful the mutant, the longer they stick around, even if the touch is brief.

Sleep was elusive, and when it did come, so did the nightmares. It started as a cold, rainy day when a young Erik Lensherr was separated from his parents at Auschwitz. His powers emerged when he realized that his parents, who he desperately loved, were being sent to the gas chamber. Terror, panic and pain ripped through Rogue, and it didn't let up at all when the scene suddeny shifted to a battlefield, also from World War II, this time to watch a friend of Logan's get blown up. Logan's anguish turned into intense physical pain and animalistic terror when the dream shifted to the lab where he was kept when faceless scientists cut him open and wrapped adamantium around his skeleton. Then suddenly she was angry and terrified at the same time, clenching her fists and tearing through anything in her path with her bare claws.

"Rogue! Rogue, stop it!"

She was leaning into someone, one of her small fists digging hard into a firm stomach. A hand on her shoulder shook her, trying to drag her out into the real world. She resisted, swinging her other fist into the offending person's gut with all the strength she could muster.

An "oof" broke through the haze in her mind, waking the voices. Her Inner Logan growled and pushed the others back, but it made her desperate to tear something apart with claws she didn't really have. With an effort she pulled away from Cyclops' slumped form, who if not an outright rival was at the very least competition for the position of Alpha Male. Which would have made her laugh if Logan hadn't been such a strong presence right then that she would almost swear she _was_ male.

"S-sorry, Cyclops," she forced out despite the Wolverine hating apologizing to anyone for anything. "I need... I need to hit something, rip something. I can't..."

Rogue hit her knees, the effort to assert herself over Logan taking what little strength she had.

Cyclops frowned down at her for a minute before suddenly nodding his head. "It's all right, Rogue. You touched him for a long time, I'm sure the Wolverine inside you is very powerful right now."

She whimpered and nodded, glad that he understood.

"Come on," he commanded lightly.

She frowned at him and gave Xavier and Logan concerned glances.

"I've already sent a message to Jean to come watch them for a little while, they'll be fine," he assured her.

Cyclops helped her stand and looped an arm around her waist to lead her down the hall to the elevator. She hated leaving Logan, even if Dr. Grey was coming, but seeing him (and Xavier) made her feel guilty. And the voices seemed to feed on guilt, prodding her with what she had done and constantly making her feel worse. And she supposed she needed rest, though she feared sleep wouldn't help. It would only allow the nightmares back in.

But Cyclops didn't take her up to the residential floor to sleep as she had expected him to, going down a level instead. They got off the elevator and headed for a large metal door much like the one that led to Cerebro.

_The Danger Room_.

Rogue was surprised for a second that Erik had been the one to identify Cyclops' intended destination. But his memories, and Xavier's, confirmed that Erik knew the entire layout of the mansion since he had helped build most of it. Rogue was impressed. She shivered when Erik and Xavier were proud of her admiration. Weren't any of her thoughts hers alone anymore?

_Don't worry about it, kid, we won't tell anyone_.

_Certainly not_, Erik backed up Logan's claim.

Cyclops had led her into a vast, round-walled room and left her standing near the door while he got something from a closet just outside the door. He came back to her and handed her two items. Knives. Throwing knives, from Logan's knowledge.

"I know it's not the same as claws, but..." Cyclops shrugged.

"Thank you, Mr. Summers," Rogue said in her own voice, grateful for the gesture and thought behind it.

Cyclops smiled at her and for just a moment Rogue wondered what his eyes looked like. She knew instinctively they would be kind.

"You're welcome, Rogue. And you can call me Scott."

Rogue nodded, forcing a small smile. The Logan in her head was growling again, trying to be protective of her when Scott couldn't possibly hear him. But she didn't want the X-Men team leader to think she was nuts if she laughed at something in her own head.

"I'll be in the control room." Scott pointed above them to a small room with an observation window. "I'll start at the lowest level since you've never done this and you can decide how far you want to go. To go up a level, just say 'next level' and when you get tired or want to stop say 'terminate program'. You'll just be fighting simulated men."

Rogue nodded her understanding and smirked when Scott turned away. She wasn't going to be able to keep the Wolverine at bay for any longer. She heard Scott leave the room and the doors slide shut behind him.

_Just let me handle things, kid_.

The Erik in her head made a derisive noise but didn't fight for control, so she handed the mental reins to Logan. She knew he would never physically hurt her, he had thought he was giving his life for hers on the Statue of Liberty. And if she gave him an outlet, maybe the pressure in her head would ease at least a little.

But once the Wolverine started tearing apart holographic and robotic enemies in the Danger Room, advancing ten levels in ten minutes, Rogue forced her way forward. She wanted to learn to fight. If the events of the past few days had taught her anything, it was that even when she was surrounded by people who wanted to protect her, things could go wrong. There would be times when she had to rely on herself alone.

_Never_.

More than one of the voices had been trying to show their support at the same time, but the thought that _they_ would always be there wasn't comforting. She pushed the frustration away and focused on the moves Logan was using in her body, noting what worked and what fell a little short because of the differences in their physiology. By the time she was on level sixteen, Rogue was beyond exhausted and the Wolverine inside her had calmed considerably. She called a halt to the program and was met at the door a few minutes later by Scott.

"Impressive," Scott commented. "If you hold onto even a part of that ability and skill when things calm down, I'll talk to the Professor about training you to join us when you're a little older."

"I need a beer," something made her grunt.

Scott whipped his head to the side to look at her and for a split second she thought she saw one corner of his mouth quirk up. They walked in silence to the elevator.

On the ride up, Rogue asked softly, "How old?"

Scott shrugged, "I became official after college, so around twenty-one, twenty-two I guess."

Rogue nodded. She had two to three years of waiting then. She wasn't sure she could wait that long to fight for real. And he obviously thought she had even longer to wait than that. But Scott wasn't the right person to explain her lack of a high school diploma to when she told them she was nineteen. As nice as he had just been to her, Xavier was more of an authority figure and Logan was the one she cared about. So one of them would have to be who she confided in first.

They reached the med lab door and Rogue turned to Scott. "Thank you, Scott. There was just..." Rogue spread her gloved fingers in a searching gesture, than lifted one hand to tap the side of her head. "Too much up here."

"Get some rest," he told her kindly.

He walked away and Rogue went into the room. After a quick check on the room's other occupants and a bottle of water for Rogue, Jean left again. Rogue climbed back into her chair. But she didn't allow herself to sleep again. There was still too much going on in her head and she couldn't deal with another nightmare until she knew Logan was going to be okay.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes:** Thoughts are signified by 'these'. Emphasis, telepathic conversation and the voices in Rogue's head are in _italics_.

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Despite all her intentions to stay awake, Rogue eventually passed out from sheer exhaustion. Thankfully, the nightmares couldn't penetrate the deepness of her sleep. When Jean shook her awake, Rogue was at least not as tired as she had been. Jean suggested she get something to eat and Rogue reluctantly complied after getting a promise from Jean that she would be the first to know if Logan woke up.

Rogue found Storm in the kitchen and ate a mostly silent meal with the white-haired African beauty. Storm asked a few questions about how she was doing but, after receiving vague answers, seemed to appreciate Rogue's need for silence. As Rogue left the room, Storm extended an offer for Rogue to join her in gardening should Rogue feel the need for a relaxing pursuit to get her mind off things. Despite thinking that the Wolverine would probably not be able to sit still long enough to accomplish anything in a garden, Rogue thanked the other woman. Now rested and full, Rogue felt a crawling sensation under her skin that signified the need for the Logan in her head to do a little damage.

She stalked down the hallway in search of Scott, passing Jubilee, one of the two girls who had been her roommates the few nights she had spent in the mansion before Magneto had kidnapped her. Rogue had to fight not to pinch her nostrils shut when she drew even with the girl. Her perfume was overpowering to Logan's senses, making Rogue's eyes water. She feebly returned Jubilee's friendly wave and scurried past her, barreling straight into Scott.

Steadying her by her sleeve-covered arms, Scott said jokingly, "We've got to stop meeting like this."

A sneeze and a watery smile were all the answer Scott got until the scent of Jubilee's perfume vacated Rogue's over-sensitized nostrils. Thankfully, Scott seemed to prefer the simple clean smell of soap.

"Bless you," Scott responded to her sneeze.

"Sorry," Rogue said softly. "Jubilee's perfume... Would it be possible to use the Danger Room again?"

Scott smiled gently, "Sure."

When they got to the Danger Room, Scott took her to the control room and showed her how to start the program on a timer so it wouldn't start until she was in the room. She wondered why until he asked if she wanted to do a joint session. Intrigued at the idea and wanting to observe Scott's fighting style, Rogue easily agreed. Scott set the timer and they headed down to the Danger Room floor together.

Half an hour later, just as Rogue was tossing a robotic bad guy into Scott's line of fire so he could destroy it with an optic blast, the Danger Room program halted. Rogue looked up to the control room, barely catching a glimpse of red hair. Beside her, Scott flinched.

"What are you doing Scott Summers?" Jean demanded as she strode in angrily a couple minutes later. "We just got her out of trouble with Magneto and your putting her in the Danger Room?"

"Jean, she needs..." Scott tried.

But Rogue was capable of defending herself. "I think you of all people would know how difficult it is to maintain a sense of self when you hear other people up here," she said, tapping her head. "If I didn't have this outlet... I don't know what I'd do. Scott is helping me preserve my sanity until Magneto and Logan fade."

It was mostly the truth, though Rogue knew Erik and Logan would never fade entirely. Their presences were too strong in her mind.

Jean blinked and looked slightly taken aback. After a silent minute, she nodded her head slightly.

"I'm sorry, Rogue, I had no idea." Jean reached a hand to Scott's shoulder, a gesture of apology, "Thank you for helping her, Scott. Just promise me that once they have faded, you won't allow her to endanger herself."

Scott nodded and Jean left the room. Scott asked Rogue if she wanted to start up again, but Rogue declined. She was tired again and decided to take a nap in an actual bed before returning to her vigilant bedside wait. Her Inner Logan had reminded her more than once since yesterday that when Logan woke up, he wouldn't be too happy with her or the 'X-geeks' if she still looked worn out after what he had done for her.

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More than an hour later, Rogue sat straight up in bed, breathing hard. A memory had surfaced while she was dreaming, one she had never seen. There were two women in it; one a woman who called herself Raven, and the other an older, blind woman whose name was Irene. They had lived together and adopted a young girl whose father had all but kicked her out of the house when her mutation manifested and she sucked the life out of her first boyfriend, Cody. The problem with never having seen the memory before was that the girl was _her_. How could she have forgotten her own memories?

What had happened to Raven and Irene, whom she had called 'Mama' and 'Mama Irene'? She had a vague knowledge that they had both been mutants. That they had allowed her brief touches so that she knew them as well as if they had always been her guardians. But if that were the case, why would she have completely forgotten them and why had they left her with the D'Ancantos for nearly two years after she turned sixteen? Especially without warning either her foster parents or her about her mutation. And how was it that her mutation had been suppressed until David had kissed her?

A terrible guilt filled her as she thought about Cody. They had only been thirteen when she had accidentally put him in a permanent coma. At least David had woken up after three weeks. As soon as David had been out of the woods, Rogue had left. Moving from town to town in Mississippi with little money and a healthy fear of touching anyone had made the going slow. When she eventually made it to Laughlin City and met up with Logan, she had been on her own for nearly fifteen months, and two birthdays had passed, making her nineteen. Because of what had happened with David and the timing of her leaving, she had not graduated high school, though she would have if she had only waited a couple more months.

Rogue made a decision right then to get her high school equivalency. She wouldn't sit in classes she had already taken and be forced to be seen as being younger than she was. She would never be able to stand it; especially with how old she now was mentally. Maybe someday she would remember more about Raven and Irene and be able to track them down. Maybe then she could get the answers she desperately wanted.

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Rogue was in what she now considered her chair (without the pillow and blanket since Storm insisted she get enough rest in an actual bed each night) when the first of the two patients in med lab revived. It had been five days since the events on Liberty Island.

Jean leaned over Xavier to adjust one of the electrodes attached to his forehead. Rogue watched silently in her chair as Xavier's eyes blinked. So the Professor, despite his age and his lack of self-regenerative powers, had pulled through faster than Logan. She was glad for him, glad for the school and the X-Men, but Rogue couldn't help but feel that it was somehow wrong. Logan was supposed to be the invulnerable one.

"Welcome back," Jean greeted Xavier with a small smile. "I knew you'd find your way."

Xavier's steady gaze remained on the attractive redhead. "I had you to guide me."

Jean's smile widened, her eyes soft, and Rogue felt as if she were intruding on a private moment.

"How did we do?" he asked after a silent minute.

Jean looked over her shoulder in Rogue and Logan's direction. Xavier turned his head to the right to stare at the bandaged and monitored Logan. After a few seconds his gaze traveled to Rogue. She wanted to give him a reassuring smile, but her inner Erik didn't want her fully trusting Xavier.

_Was he more concerned for you or for the precious humans_?

Rogue felt Xavier attempt a gentle probe of her mind, but with Erik's help and some of Xavier's own residual power, she was able to block him. Xavier frowned and shared a look with Jean. Rogue's eyes narrowed. Were they having a telepathic conversation about her? She exerted Xavier's mental power and tried to listen in.

_What happened_? Xavier was asking.

_Magneto hooked her up to his machine, but we managed to stop the effects from reaching the delegates. It sucked the life from her, but Logan was able to revive her_.

Rogue mentally rolled her eyes. That was certainly simplifying things. Not wanting to get caught by either of them and not really caring what they thought of her after all that had happened, Rogue shut down using any borrowed powers. Her Inner Logan paced.

_Can we go back to the Danger Room now_?

'After dinner', she mentally promised him. 'Knowing Erik would be the next to ask for an outlet, she added, And then we'll bring a book down here from the library and read.'

She had quickly discovered that giving the two dominant voices in her head an outlet kept them pacified. And Rogue had found that she liked learning new things. She had never truly liked school growing up, but that had mostly been about other kids and tests. Rogue didn't like tests. But Logan's thrill when exercising combat skills and Erik's love for philosophy and literature were inspiring her to learn more than she had ever considered.

Rogue lifted her gaze when Jean approached her chair.

"Would you mind going upstairs for awhile and hanging out with some of the other kids? I need to get the Professor up and dressed."

Rogue spared a glance at Logan's still form.

"You'll send for me if there's any change?"

Jean nodded.

Rogue stood and nodded to Xavier, heading for the door. She stiffened when Logan's hearing picked up Jean's observation.

"Poor thing, she's got it bad."

Rogue rolled her eyes. Just because she cared about Logan, the first person she had trusted in a long time, it didn't mean she had a crush on him. So much for Jean being a powerful telepath.

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Instead of 'hanging out with the other kids' as Jean had suggested, Rogue ended up in the Danger Room again. Scott had given her the codes to the first five levels the previous day, telling her that she shouldn't have to hunt him down every time she needed to vent. As the days had progressed, the Logan in her head took over less and less, but she had still acted strange on many occasions.

When Bobby Drake had tried to ask her to watch a movie with him during one of her forays into the kitchen, she had growled at him. Since she had no intention of pretending to be normal with a boy chronologically and mentally younger than herself, her Inner Logan had taken a certain glee in scaring the boy. Rogue had apologized and told Bobby she'd like it if they could be friends. She felt a little bad when he looked disappointed, but it was better to nip it in the bud before he got it into his cocky young mind that he could find a way past her powers to get something from her.

Besides, she didn't want any man trying until she had at least a better understanding of her own pwers. And most of males of the school weren't even men yet. In fact, besides Logan, only the Professor and Scott truly qualified. And though she thought she could become friends with Scott if given the chance, she was attracted to neither one of them. She giggled when Logan growled at the thought of she and 'Cyke' being more than friends and Erik made his relief clear at the knowledge that she would never be interested in Xavier. Sometimes the two men in her head were very amusing.

Of course, she hadn't thought it was so amusing when she'd had a craving for a cigar and had gone sniffing around Xavier's office trying to find where the aroma of tobacco was coming from. Jean had been the one to find her sniffing at a drawer in Xavier's desk, and the Logan in her head had proceeded to smirk at the redhead and had almost started to flirt with her. With Erik's help, Rogue's own force of will had stopped that from happening.

When Rogue had reluctantly explained to Scott what she had been doing in the office when Jean passed her off to him, he had allowed her a single cigarette and a non-alcoholic beer. It had gone a long way in her Inner Logan's acceptance of the X-Men leader.

The Danger Room sessions had been a big help as well. She had fought alongside Scott twice and done a special training exercise with Storm once. But her favorite sessions were the ones during which she was physically alone. Under the tutelage of both Erik and Logan, she was learning a lot about defending herself and others. She had never been in a fight before leaving her foster parents' house after hurting David, but she knew her skills were now approaching formidable. If she had to, Rogue would be able to take care of herself.

_Terminate the program, my dear_, Erik said.

Rogue did as he had said and waited expectantly. But the next voice she heard in her head wasn't Erik.

_Hello, my sweet Marie_.

Rogue's breath caught in her throat. 'Mama Irene?'

_Yes, child. I need you to forgive your mother and I_.

'Why did you leave me with those people? They didn't understand. Whatever you did to make me forget, you shouldn't have done it. I hurt someone again; it's how I got into this mess.'

_I was dying, child, and your mother wanted to take me home to Austria so I could be buried there. We thought you would be safe with our neighbors until she could come back for you. I'm not sure why she didn't. And as for the rest, it had to happen the way it did. I'm sorry we hurt you, but it was destiny. You had to meet the X-Men, and you had to be saved from Erik's plan_.

Rogue's blood ran cold. Irene had called Erik by his real name. 'You knew him.'

_Your mother works for him, and I helped her_.

A memory tried to surface, she wasn't sure if it was hers or Irene's, a flash of blue, white and a little red, but Rogue refused to let it come out. She wouldn't believe it, she couldn't.

_That's enough for now, Irene_, Erik ordered sharply. To Rogue he said, _Do you see why you'll never fit in here_?

_You fit with me, kid. We're two of a kind, me and you. Never forget that_, her Inner Logan growled comfortingly.

Suppressing all the voices as best she could, Rogue ran from the Danger Room to the elevator. Her bed in the room she shared with Kitty and Jubilee was her final destination. She couldn't risk Jean sensing her pain if she returned to med lab, because somehow she knew that Jean would probe for more information. And once Jean found out what had her so upset, her time at the X-Mansion would be limited. Rogue wouldn't let them kick her out before she knew Logan was okay.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes:** Thoughts are signified by 'these'. Emphasis, telepathic conversation and the voices in Rogue's head are in _italics_.

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Rogue was coming back to med lab after lunch two days after Xavier had woken when she was stopped in the doorway by the sight in front of her. Joy filled her as she realized that the bandages Jean was almost frantically checking under no longer covered wounds. Logan had healed. Rogue almost walked further into the room but was stopped when Jean stroked the skin under a large bandage on Logan's abdomen, causing the man to grunt. He also reached up to grasp the hand that had been touching him.

"Uh," he grunted hoarsely. "That tickles."

Jean smiled softly at Logan, even softer than the just-this-side-of-intimate smile Rogue had seen the woman share with Xavier. Rogue felt her throat close up and wanted to turn away from the scene, but she felt frozen to the spot. If she moved, one of them would spot her. She didn't want to be caught eavesdropping, no matter how innocent her part in it had been.

"Hey," Jean said in an almost-whisper that only her Logan-enhanced hearing allowed Rogue to hear.

"Hey," Logan returned only slightly louder.

"How you feeling?"

"Fantastic," Logan grunted, sarcasm dripping from the one word.

Jean smiled affectionately and Rogue felt like she had been punched in the gut. If Jean returned Logan's budding feelings even a little, he might never move past his infatuation with her. And Rogue knew no matter how much Jean flirted with Logan, she did love Scott. Logan could only get hurt in the situation.

"That was a brave thing you did."

Rogue scowled. Logan had saved _her_, not Jean. _She_ should be able thank him for his sacrifice, not the redhead. Rogue watched as Logan's eyebrows drew together in a concerned look.

"Did it work?"

Rogue almost stepped forward then, but Erik stopped her.

_What else is she going to say about you? Will she put a spin on things that have happened in the last few days that will make him see you differently_?

_Never happen_, Inner Logan growled back.

But he didn't sound as certain as he usually did, so Rogue went against instinct and listened to Erik's suggestion. She stayed where she was.

"Yeah, she's fine. She took on a few of your more charming personality traits for awhile."

Logan made a sound between a snort and a wheeze, and Rogue wondered what he was picturing when Jean said 'charming personality traits' in that half-mocking tone.

"But we lived through it," Jean continued. She paused, looking down at their joined hands before saying, "I think she's a little taken with you."

Rogue's heart stopped for a minute. In that moment, she gladly would have drained every last drop of life from Dr. Jean Grey. How dare Jean say something that was so personal (and frankly wrong and none of her business) to Logan like that? But no matter how angry Rogue was, it didn't prepare her for the heartache that followed Logan's reply.

"Well, you can tell her that my heart belongs to someone else."

Rogue had even more reason to be concerned for Logan now. How could he have fallen so hard for Jean when he had known her so short a time and given his dislike for doctors? If he got hurt enough, he would leave Xavier's, and Rogue would lose the only person who cared about her.

Jean stopped smiling and stammered, "You know… you and I…"

"How's the Professor?" Logan interrupted.

Rogue forced herself to breathe and held back the tears that threatened. She knew Logan would smell her tears if she let them fall.

"He's good," Jean automatically answered.

"Good."

Logan lifted Jean's hand, which he was still holding, and kissed her fingers, causing Jean to smile again. Rogue took the opportunity to quietly make her escape before she could be noticed.

She ran to the elevator as soon as she was out of hearing range of med lab, her mind racing. The Logan in her head was begging Rogue to understand that Logan had simply been flirting, that it didn't really mean anything. But once she had been away from the scene and able to sort through them, Rogue knew from Logan's memories that once he had gotten past the fact that Jean was a doctor, he had been immediately attracted to her. When Inner Logan growled and tried to explain again, Rogue pulled Erik to the forefront so he would drown Logan out.

There was a railing in the elevator that Rogue held onto, hard, as the elevator moved upward. It hurt her hands a little, but she was glad for the pain. Anything to draw attention away from her racing heart. She didn't want to be alone again. When the elevator door opened on the ground floor in the mansion, Rogue let go and looked down, her eyebrows flying up.

She had left her handprints in the metal railing, no doubt from Erik's power. Did this mean she could draw on powers she thought had faded when she was particularly emotional? Glancing out of the open elevator doors to make sure no one was watching, Rogue concentrated and manipulated the railing back to its original shape.

_Well done_.

'Shut up, Erik. Do you know how much trouble I would have gotten in if anyone had found out I did that in the first place?'

_Does it really matter anymore, my dear_?

Rogue drew a deep breath. 'No. I don't suppose it does.'

And just like that, Rogue realized that once she had shown Logan that she was fine, that he no longer had to keep his promise to take care of her, she was leaving. Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters was not the place for her. She wouldn't be treated like a child. She wouldn't stand by day by day and watch other mutants freely interact with each other when she would never be able to touch. And she wouldn't stay near Jean, who was everything she wasn't.

Intellectually, Rogue knew Jean wasn't a bad person. Jean hadn't made Logan fall for her on purpose. But Rogue would always feel inferior to the redhead if she stayed. Jean was beautiful, well educated, poised and in control of her powers. And Jean's powers didn't hurt other people like Rogue's did. Jean's powers were good for something other than self-preservation. She helped people with them.

Rogue stood outside the elevator for a minute, indecisive as to what she should do first. From everything she knew of Logan, she thought the best way to prove she didn't need him anymore, at least to him, would be to fit in with the kids here. Or at least pretend to for a little while.

Rogue tucked her hair behind her ears and made sure her clothes were covering as much as they would. The t-shirt she was wearing, borrowed from Jubilee since her own clothes had all been lost or destroyed, had a deep v-neck and short sleeves, leaving a few inches of bare skin on her arms before her opera length gloves started. But that and the scarf wound around her neck would have to do for now. Her head held high and a fake smile plastered on her face, Rogue headed for the common room where she knew the teenage students would be gathered.

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Logan stood to the Professor's left in the Briefing Room half an hour after waking up, watching carefully as a topographic image of a ruined building took shape in front of him.

"There's an abandoned military compound at Alkali Lake in the Canadian Rockies," the Professor was saying, "close to where we found you. There's not much left, but you might find some answers."

"Thank you," Logan said, still staring at the image.

Unfortunately, it wasn't ringing any bells yet.

"Are you going to say good bye to them?"

Logan turned his head to look at the Professor, blinking a few times. For a minute he wondered if '_them_' included more than Jean and Marie, the only two people here who really meant anything to him.

Instead of answering the Professor's question, Logan asked gruffly, "You'll make sure she's okay?"

"Of course."

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Ten minutes ago, Logan had been in a meeting with Xavier, but Xavier was now watching a television news report about Senator Kelly. Rogue glanced at the TV when she had the chance, but mostly she had to focus on the foosball table in front of her. So where was Logan?

Someone paused the television broadcast and Storm said, "Mystique."

Rogue tensed when the telecast resumed and a report was made about Kelly's assistant's death, relaying "Guyrich was mauled by a bear." But Rogue knew it had been Sabretooth. She had seen what the huge feral man was capable of. Rogue shivered, glad he had never been allowed to touch her once she had been captured.

That was when she noticed a new scent in the air. Logan's scent.

Peeking under her lashes, Rogue could see through the open doorway that Logan was standing by the door to the side foyer, a backpack slung over one shoulder. Outwardly, she continued to smile and play foosball with Bobby, John and Jaime, but inwardly she was waiting to see if he would come and say goodbye to her. She felt his gaze on her, but he turned and went through the door to the foyer. Telling Bobby she'd be back, Rogue ran after Logan, needing to see him one last time before they both disappeared.

When she went through the door, he had just reached for the handle to the one that led outside. He turned back around when he heard her behind him.

"Hey," she said.

Logan barely glanced at her before looking down, not meeting her eyes.

_Thanks, Jean_, Rogue thought sarcastically. To try to put them back on the footing they had previously enjoyed, she teasingly asked him the same question he had asked her on the train, "You running again?"

It didn't work. He continued to avoid her eyes.

"No, not really," he answered almost nervously, shuffling his shoulder strap. He looked down again, and for a wild moment Rogue considered looking at the floor to see what was so interesting. "I have some things to take care of up north."

Although Logan still didn't look in her eyes, he lifted his left hand to barely stroke her newly acquired white streak. The gesture seemed to be slightly hopeless, and Rogue knew he was feeling sorry that he hadn't reached her sooner. Rogue wanted his last memory of her to be happier than that.

"I kind of like it," she told him, surprised to find that she actually meant it.

Logan nodded his head slightly.

'Take me with you', she wanted to say. Despite his gruff attitude and her fear of touching others, friendship had grown quickly between them. Why couldn't they go back to being two lonely souls traveling together? The closest thing she would allow herself was, "I don't want you to go."

Rogue watched as Logan undid the chain around his neck. He lifted her gloved hand and put the dog tag into it, folding her fingers over the metal.

"I'll be back for this."

Before she could answer, before she could tell him that she wouldn't be here if he ever did come back, he had turned and gone out the door, closing it firmly behind him. Rogue stared down at the tag. Was it so wrong to keep this one part of him? Maybe one day they would meet again. And if not, she could always mail it back here. She knew Xavier would hold onto the memento for Logan.

Rogue heard the roar of a motorcycle engine and smiled. She had Logan's memory of his high-speed ride on Scott's machine. He had really liked it. The added bonus of making Scott mad was more than Logan could pass up, Rogue was sure.

Rogue slipped the chain with Logan's dog tag over her neck. The metal, still slightly warm from his body, settled between her breasts. Rogue touched the tag lightly and went back into the hallway. Sensing someone watching her, Rogue turned to meet Xavier's gaze. Rogue decided there was no point in drawing out the inevitable and moved to Xavier's side.

"I believe it would be best if we spoke in my office," Xavier said mildly.

Rogue nodded and followed sedately after the Professor's wheelchair as it moved down the hall to the designated room. While Xavier wheeled around his desk, Rogue closed the door behind them and sank down in one of the chairs in front of the desk. Xavier sat forward slightly and steepled his fingers, studying her intently for several seconds.

"You've developed a rather powerful mind block in the last week, Rogue," Xavier remarked as he sat back once more.

Rogue fidgeted in her seat for a minute, wondering if he knew how she had accomplished that. "I had too many people in my head already. I didn't want anyone else poking around up there."

Xavier nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face.

_Maybe you should wait a few days to leave_, Erik prodded. _You're going to need more than just the clothes on your back to survive even for a short time_.

'You're right, but I already owe them so much. It wouldn't feel right to take more from them.'

_Owe them? For what? Treating you as the adult you are? Keeping you out of my clutches? Putting your life above those of complete strangers? You owe the Wolverine, not them. Besides, Charles owes_ me _for all the work and money I helped him put into this place. Take what you need._

Erik had said it like it was final and Rogue barely stopped herself from grinning. He was even more stubborn than she was. Maybe she _could_ take more. She was a realist. When she had left Meridian, Rogue had her own meager savings and a backpack of clothes and food to at least get her started. She had nothing now. When she did eventually get settled, she could find a way to pay Xavier back if her conscience continued to nag her. Xavier leaned slightly forward in his wheelchair and Rogue turned her attention back to him.

"Well, I think if you feel ready on Monday that you should rejoin the classes we previously put you in…"

"Actually," Rogue cut him off, "when my mutation manifested I was only two months shy of getting my high school diploma. I'd like to get my high school equivalency instead if you could help me with that."

If Xavier was surprised, only the tiniest lifting of his eyebrows signaled it. "How old are you, Rogue?"

"I turned nineteen a month ago."

There went the eyebrows again.

"I see. In that case, I would be happy to help you get your GED. It should take a week to set up the test if you feel you would be ready by then." Rogue nodded and Xavier continued, "Storm has offered to take you shopping Sunday since your clothes were either lost or destroyed in the recent events."

"Thank you, Professor."

Rogue stood up and made to head for the door.

"Rogue, if you need to talk about what happened or you'd like me to help you with the memories in your head that aren't yours, I'm always here."

Rogue nodded, not trusting herself to speak. The Professor seemed genuine, but she knew if she worked with him, it would come out that she had touched him. She didn't think she could deal with that. Erik's animosity for the views of the man he had formerly cared about didn't help matters either. Rogue doubted she'd ever be completely relaxed around Xavier again.

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Two weeks after Logan had left, Rogue had her GED, a small but functioning wardrobe and money she had earned helping with homework and chores around the mansion. It wasn't a lot, but she knew she could survive on it for several weeks if she was careful. Now she stood in front of the door to Xavier's office, everything she owned in the world packed into a backpack similar to the one Logan had left with.

Rogue had said good-bye to her roommates, Kitty and Jubilee, when she was packing, but she thought they probably believed Xavier would talk her out of leaving. Rogue raised her hand and knocked, following Xavier's prompt to "Enter."

Xavier gave her the once over and asked, "Are you going somewhere, Rogue?"

"I'm leaving," she said simply. "But before I left I wanted to know how much about Logan's past you actually told him."

Xavier leaned back, his eyebrows drawing together in a frown. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that in 1944 in Poland Erik was twelve, making him around seventy, but in the same war Logan looked pretty much the same he does now. And Erik says there's more that you know about the Wolverine but he won't tell me what."

"Only what he would be able to handle right now." Xavier answered her original question but didn't expand on it.

A small, disbelieving laugh escaped Rogue.

"Of course, Charles," Erik said aloud through her.

Xavier narrowed his eyes. "I don't think you should leave if you're not in control of your own mind, Rogue."

Rogue smiled slightly, "I am leaving. If you won't help Logan to the full extent of your abilities, how can I trust that you would be helping me as much as you could? There is a couple I want to find who took care of me before the D'Ancantos. I have to do that on my own." She released a sigh before finishing. "Could you deliver these once I've left?"

She handed Xavier a stack of folded notes addressed to him, Scott, Jean and Storm. In each, she thanked the X-Men for their parts in her rescue and subsequent healing process. In Xavier's, she had apologized for touching him without permission and promised to find a way to repay them for all they had done. No matter how much she felt she didn't fit in at the X-Mansion, she didn't want to leave anyone with hard feelings either.

Xavier nodded and set the notes down on his desk. He opened a drawer and pulled out an envelope, handing it to her. It wasn't sealed, and Rogue saw that it contained a few hundred dollars in cash and one of the X-Men's communicators.

"I can't take this."

"Yes, you can," Xavier responded calmly. "It's a loan, so I do expect to be paid back over time. I told Logan I would make sure you were okay, and if this is the only way I can keep my word, so be it. If you get into trouble, contact us on the comm and we'll find you."

Rogue moved around the desk and briefly hugged the older man. "Thank you, Professor."

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Five days after Rogue left 1407 Graymalkin Lane, a small package with a return address of a post office box in Salem Center was sent to Professor Charles Xavier. Inside it was the communicator he had given Rogue and a simple note.

'_If I want to be found, you'll know._'


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes:** Thoughts are signified by 'these'. Emphasis, telepathic conversation and the voices in Rogue's head are in _italics_.

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"Anna? Is there a copy of 'Hamlet' on your cart?"

Rogue checked the cart of books she was putting back on the library shelves and found the book Sara, the head librarian, was asking for. She handed it to the older woman and smiled.

"Another student from the high school?" she asked.

"Mm-hm," Sara confirmed. "Another one asking for Cliff's Notes, if you can believe it. He just needs the actual book to show his teacher he has it."

Sara rolled her eyes and Rogue laughed softly. With a soft smile at her favorite employee, Sara left Rogue to finish putting away the reference books from her cart.

Rogue had started coming to the New York City Library a week after finding a small apartment in a not so good part of town. Erik was still a strong presence in her mind, mostly because of how much she relied on his companionship, Rogue knew. And he still liked reading. Rogue had grown to love it as well. Anything was possible in books.

Rogue had found work fairly quickly as a dishwasher at a small diner. She was paid cash by the owner and was fed by the cook. She made just enough working the morning and afternoon shifts on weekdays to make ends meet, and she didn't have to have a lot of direct contact with people. The owner's nephew worked weekends, giving Rogue time off. It suited her well.

Ernie, the cook, had looked at her strangely when she laughed at the gloves he had given her the first day to wear while washing. Ernie, a large, jolly man, had gotten past his initial curiosity about her and now treated her like favored niece, joking with her and giving her the left over groceries he knew the diner wouldn't use before they spoiled.

She had been going to the NYC Library several times a week for over a month before Sara had asked her why she never checked any books out. Rogue had given Sara the same name she used at the diner, Anna Stewart, and told her the same background story that had landed her the under-the-table gig at the diner. Anna was a runaway who, though now a legal adult, was still hiding from an abusive father and therefore used a fake name and couldn't get a library card.

Sara had taken Rogue under her wing and given her a library card based on a letter Rogue sent herself for address verification. Two weeks later, Sara had asked if Rogue would like a job at the library putting away books a couple hours a day. Sara paid her under the table as well, and had no problem with Rogue wearing gloves. Rogue had long since settled on a cover story of being germaphobic to explain her constant wearing of gloves. She had now been working at the library for nearly five months.

She kept the diner job, too, and was saving up to buy herself a bicycle, a lightweight one that she could carry up the stairs to her third floor apartment. In a couple more months, she would have enough. Walking helped her keep in shape, but she wanted to explore the city more and the subways bothered her nose too much to use often.

The Logan in her head had wanted her to return to the X-mansion since the day she had left, and after a week of arguing with him mentally, Rogue had asked Erik to help her find a way to silence Logan. Through trial and error, they had discovered that concentrating on Logan's abilities instead of his personality and memories helped suppress his voice. Every once in a while he still surfaced, mostly after particularly bad nightmares, but with effort she could bury him again. When he _was_ there, he wasn't happy with her. But he was glad she had friends in Ernie and Sara.

Rogue often discussed books with Sara, since both women were avid readers. Sara had often commented on Rogue's intelligence, which secretly Rogue attributed much of to Erik, and had encouraged Rogue to sign up for community college classes. But Rogue knew there was no way she could do so without using her legal name, and then she could be found. She wasn't ready for that.

Finished with the reference books, Rogue rolled her cart to the fiction section to put away the last of her books for the night. Reading the jacket covers of a few of them, Rogue chose one to take home and put the cart away in the employee room. Sara was waiting at the counter when she came out, even though technically the library had been closed for five minutes. She always waited to let Rogue check out books at the end of her shift. Two books on yoga Rogue had picked out earlier sat on the counter, and Rogue added her novel to the stack.

"Did you give up on meditation?" Sara asked, indicating the yoga books as she scanned Rogue's library card.

Rogue often read up on different things, like self-hypnosis or meditation, she thought might help her with the voices in her head, though of course Sara didn't know that was the reason. The older woman probably thought Rogue was looking for religion or something.

"Not physical enough," Rogue replied with a smile as Sara handed her the library card and books. "My mind wanders too much when I sit still too long."

Sara smiled again. "You be careful walking home, Anna."

"See you tomorrow night," Rogue said with a goodbye wave.

Sara constantly worried about where Rogue lived, but Rogue couldn't afford a place anywhere nicer. Not to mention the lack of good apartments that didn't care if you had references and an available credit check.

Rogue was often skittish walking home at night, but she had only been approached once. Luckily, the guy had been drunk and had thought he was hallucinating when she sent his knife flying with a flick of her wrist from five feet away. Rogue thanked Erik and kept her fingers crossed that no one else tried anything. She knew she would have to leave the neighborhood if anyone found out she was a mutant, and that meant leaving New York. The city had become her home, and she hoped that didn't happen.

Rogue stopped outside the library's main doors and glanced over at the payphone. It was the fifteenth today, the day she always called Xavier's school to let them know she was okay. She had no idea if her mind block would hold up against Cerebro, or if the block still existed at all, so she had taken to calling the school once a month so they knew she was still breathing.

Rogue always spoke with Scott, since he had been so kind to her before she had left and never asked her to come back. Somehow she knew that he knew it wasn't going to happen anytime soon. And he accepted that.

Sighing, Rogue dug some change out of her pocket and dialed the school's main number.

A young female voice answered with a simple, "Hello?"

"May I speak with Scott please?" Rogue asked.

"Hold on," the child said.

Rogue could hear the phone being set down and the girl walking away from the phone yelling, "Mr. Summers, phone for you!"

Less than a minute later, Scott came on the line. "Hello, Rogue."

"Hi, Scott," she responded simply.

"Doing okay?"

"Just fine. Things there okay?"

Scott sighed, "Yeah, everyone's okay. Have you been watching the news lately?"

"No TV, but I read the paper once in awhile. I take it you're referring to the death of the Mutant Registration Act?"

"Yes, I guess Mystique pretending to be Senator Kelly isn't all bad."

Rogue stiffened and had to push Irene's voice out of her head as she did each time the shapeshifter was mentioned or remembered.

The operator came on the line requesting more change for the next three minutes, and Rogue said in a strained voice, "I have to go, Scott, I'm out of change."

"Okay," he responded, a disappointed note in his voice. "You know, you could call collect next time."

"I'll remember," she said softly. "Goodbye, Scott."

"Bye, Rogue."

Rogue hung up the phone and began the long walk home. On the way, she argued with Erik and Irene.

_You must break all ties with Charles and his students, my dear_, Erik told her. He did so every time she called Salem Center.

'And if they come looking for me? I won't fight them off, Erik. No matter how much you disagree with their ideals, they've never done anything to hurt me. Calling is more than a courtesy to them, it's a preventative measure.'

Erik made a noise and fell silent. Irene's turn.

_Find your mother, Marie. You must discover why she didn't come back for you, why she let what happened to you occur_.

'Mama Irene,' Rogue sighed. 'What good would it do? For whatever reason, she's forgotten me. It's the only explanation. Why else would she have let Magneto kill me? Even she isn't that unfeeling.'

_Find a way to remind her about you_.

'Even if I could, how would I get to her? She's a Senator now.'

Irene didn't have an answer to that, at least not yet, and Rogue had only her own thoughts in her head for the rest of the walk home. Unfortunately, the fact that Scott and Irene had both brought up Mystique inevitably made her think of the woman who had adopted and then abandoned her, the woman whose real name was Raven Darkholme.

Rogue still hadn't completely come to terms with the thought that her 'Mama' was the same scaly creature who had tried to stop the X-Men from saving her, and she knew someday she would have to confront 'Mystique' for her own peace of mind. And she had a lot of questions. One of the most puzzling after the fact that Raven obviously didn't remember her (and the fact that only after a lot of prodding from Irene had Rogue remembered bits of that part of her life) was the fact that her natural form had changed. Raven had often used her own form at home instead of the dark-haired beauty she was in public. But she had never had scales. Her hair too, had been different, falling in a soft bob to her shoulders. And she certainly hadn't walked around naked. Realizing she had almost passed her building, Rogue pulled herself out of her thoughts and began the climb to her small apartment.

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The next afternoon, Rogue had to call Sara from the diner.

"I'm not going to be able to come in tonight," she told the other woman.

She quickly explained that the dinner shift washer had called in sick and they didn't have anyone else who could fill in on such short notice.

"That's fine, Anna," Sara responded. "Why don't you come in sometime tomorrow so I can pay you?"

"Thanks, Sara," Rogue responded gratefully.

She said goodbye and got back to work. The dinner shift was twice as busy as the breakfast one, and there were a lot of dishes to keep clean for new customers. Making sure no one was watching, Rogue used Erik's gift to swish the silverware at hyper speed in the hot soapy water, lifting the utensils physically to rinse in the second sink. Sometimes she was very glad to be able to control metal.

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"Thanks for staying late, Anna."

Rogue waved to Ernie as she left the diner out the back door. She was too tired to smile. She stuck her gloves in her jeans pocket, her hands too tender from being wet for hours on end to feel comfortable in the slick material. She trudged twenty feet down the alley before she realized she wasn't alone.

A young man stood in front of her, a wooden bat smacking threateningly against his palm. Rogue tried not to show too much fear, digging a small wad of cash out of her pocket.

"It's all I have," she said, holding it out to the man.

He snatched the money and counted it quickly.

"Twenty-five bucks?" he scoffed, and Rogue realized he was talking to someone behind her. "You think that's enough, guys?"

"Hell, no," chorused two voices behind her.

_Run, child_, Erik commanded roughly in her head.

Rogue tried, but as soon as she took a step forward, the man who had taken her money shoved her roughly backward. One of the men behind her clamped a hand over her mouth before she could scream. At the same time, the other man behind her grabbed her wrists, yanking her hands roughly behind her, and the man in front of her reached for the chain around her neck. As strongly as she didn't want it to, Rogue's power kicked in, shocking all three thugs when they started to feel weaker.

They let go of her abruptly, but the damage was done. Three new voices had been added to her head at the same time, something that had never happened before. The angry presences swirled in her head, and her control snapped. Rogue fell to the ground. All the voices she had suppressed and buried broke free and began talking at once. Rogue barely felt or heard it when the thugs who had attacked her whacked and kicked her a few times, swearing at the 'mutie' before leaving the alley, staggering in their weakened condition.

Rogue couldn't tell if she was crying or even breathing, so strong were all the voices. Erik, Logan, Irene and even Xavier tried to help her get the others under control, but they only barely managed to keep Rogue's own personality at the surface. Rogue had no idea how long she lay on the dirty alley floor, curled into a tight ball.

When a white boot stepped into her field of vision, Rogue drew what strength she could from Logan and Erik to raise her eyes. Her gaze traveled up the boots, thigh high, then over blue skin and white clothes before it met a yellow gaze.

All Rogue could choke out was, "How?"

"Destiny," Mystique answered simply.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Notes:** Thoughts are signified by 'these'. Emphasis, telepathic conversation and the voices in Rogue's head are in _italics_.

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Rogue couldn't help but flinch when Mystique leaned down to help her up.

Mystique sighed and said gently, "There is much to explain, but first we need to get you somewhere safe. Will you allow me to help you?"

Somehow Rogue gathered enough strength to speak. "You _will_ tell me why you let things happen the way they did?"

Mystique's yellow eyes seemed to dim slightly, but she nodded. "I promise."

Rogue nodded her assent and didn't react this time when Mystique leaned over her. But instead of simply helping her stand, Mystique picked Rogue up and carried her. When they left the alley, Mystique shifted forms into a burly man so no one would think it strange that someone practically the same size as her was carrying Rogue. With silent motions of her hand, Rogue indicated the directions to her apartment.

By the time they were inside with the door closed behind them, Rogue was wishing she had a more destructive power. Her head was splitting, and she had an intense desire to destroy something, to smash something to smithereens. The voices of the three thugs were still all yelling at her, and she wished very strongly for mental ear plugs. Mystique set her down on the worn sofa that had come with the apartment, and Rogue tried to focus on the woman who had adopted and then abandoned her.

Somehow Rogue knew having Mystique there was helping her keep the voices at least somewhat at bay, that if the shapeshifter hadn't appeared when she did, given Rogue something else to focus on, her own mind might not have been able to stay at the surface. She didn't want to know what 'she' would be capable of if one of the other voices, especially the mutant-hating human ones, took over.

Mystique moved to the small kitchen area of the apartment, once more in the form Rogue remembered from the time she had called the woman 'Mama'. Rogue watched quietly as Mystique made her a cup of tea.

Silence reigned until after Rogue had taken a few small sips of the steaming chamomile-flavored liquid. She set the cup down gingerly on the small table near the sofa and leaned back to study Mystique. She looked so much different from the scaly creature who had barely spared Rogue a glance when she was imprisoned by Magneto that it was almost hard to believe they were the same person.

Mystique's blue skin was now smooth, unblemished. Her red hair no longer looked like a glued-back butch cut, falling softly to her shoulders, a skull emblem resting at her widow's peak. She was also dressed, which was a marked improvement in Rogue's mind. The form hugging halter dress with separate front and back flaps to the skirt somehow managed to look elegant on Mystique, and her skull belt and thigh high white boots added just enough attitude to the ensemble. Rogue wondered if the gloves Mystique wore were just in deference to her skin, or if Mystique really liked having every accessory she could.

The voices got louder suddenly and Rogue's vision swam for several long seconds before Erik pushed his way to the forefront.

_Listen to Mystique_, he said lightly. _Do not blame her for what I did_. _I am sorry, my dear, there is so much I have done to you that I could never begin to make up for_.

'Keeping the others quiet is a good start, Erik,' she reminded him gently of how much he had helped her so far. 'I'll let you know if I think of something more.'

_Anything_, he promised.

Mystique sighed and Rogue's gaze flew to her face.

"Erik..." Mystique corrected herself when Rogue frowned at her, "I mean, Magneto... Magneto is a very powerful mutant. We both hate humans for various reasons, and we both believe in the supremacy of mutants. And I think he could truly be a great leader for our kind." Mystique sighed again, "But that doesn't mean I would ever let him hurt you. If I'd had my memories, I would have asked him to find another way..."

Mystique trailed off and Rogue shifted slightly, "Do you know what happened to our memories?"

"I can't be sure until I can speak with Magneto again, but he knows a mutant that goes by the name Mesmero who can alter memories. I believe Irene and I chose to alter yours so no one would hurt you because of us. The affects of Mesmero's ability starts to wear off when confronted by true memories, so I knew when I came back I'd be able to get you to remember. I can only assume that Magneto erased you from my memory when he decided you'd be useful in his plan. He did keep our contact to a minimum while we were holding you right before the Statue of Liberty."

Rogue nodded her understanding and asked, "But how was I able to touch until David kissed me? I know my mutation was active before I lived with the D'Ancanto's; I remember that and a little more."

"I used a serum that suppresses the X gene temporarily. It's only usable once because the body builds up an immunity to it, and I thought I would be back with you before it wore off. I am sorry for that as well, maybe if I hadn't hidden your mutation you would have been safe longer."

"It's alright, Mama," Mystique's face lit up when Rogue unconsciously used the endearment she had previously. "If my mutation hadn't come back when it did, I never would have met Wolverine and the X-Men never would have known to save me."

Mystique lowered her gaze momentarily.

When she looked up again, Mystique said softly, "I suppose I owe _them_ a lot as well."

"We both do," Rogue agreed.

Now that she had the answers she felt were most important, Rogue was suddenly swamped with exhaustion. The voices were slightly quieter... Erik's doing, she knew... but there were still too many of them.

"Are you okay?" Mystique asked, concern evident in her tone.

Rogue shook her head slowly, "I need to find a way to get them out."

Mystique stood and moved to join Rogue on the couch, pulling the younger woman into her arms. Mystique ran a soothing hand over Rogue's head and down her back, showing Rogue a maternal affection she hadn't realized she'd missed until now. Quiet tears slid down Rogue's face as her mother held her. Mystique let her cry, making soothing noises every once in awhile.

When Rogue was all out of tears, she had to struggle to sit up. She was so weary.

"Rogue... may I call you Marie again?"

Rogue blinked and smiled shyly, "Only if it's okay for me to call you Mama."

"Of course, my daughter," Mystique said with her own soft smile. "You should get some rest while I pack up your things."

"You're taking me with you?" Rogue couldn't help but feel her spirits lift at the thought of not being alone.

Rogue had survived fine on her own since leaving Xavier's school, but that didn't stop her from being lonely. And to know that Mystique wanted her not for the powers she had, but for the connection they had once shared, meant a great deal.

Mystique shook her head slowly, "No, Senator Kelly suddenly having a mutant ward would be too far out of character. I need to continue my work in Washington D.C. for now, but before I go back I want to take you to the Brotherhood House."

"The Brotherhood?" Rogue echoed.

"Magneto's group."

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Rogue stared out the helicopter window, watching the scenery to stay awake. She was still slightly in shock at having agreed to go to the Brotherhood's mansion. Not only was it one of Magneto's bases of operation (though granted he was in a security prison facility with no immediate hope of escape), but it was located in North Salem, just minutes away from Salem Center, where the X-Men were headquartered.

Mystique had told her that if Rogue felt uncomfortable in the mansion, she would find Rogue another place to live when she got a few days free from her masquerade as Senator Kelly. But the mansion had a secure connection that Mystique would be able to use to call her once a week, and there were only a few people living at the mansion. Sabretooth had taken off after his defeat at the claws of Wolverine, Toad was gone and Magneto was in jail. The ones left at the mansion did not have seniority in Magneto's organization.

Rogue wasn't sure how she felt about meeting those who did live there. Were they as anti-human as Magneto? Rogue had never had support from humans in her life that knew her secret, her own father included, but Sara and Ernie had been good to her in New York City. Rogue wasn't out to kill all humans, and she wasn't sure she could stand to live with people who felt that way.

Calls had been made to both Sara and Ernie, in part to quit her jobs, and also to let them know she was okay and would contact them again when she could. Sara had taken a bit more convincing, and Rogue had been shocked when Mystique had agreed to talk to Sara over the phone in her true position as Raven Darkholme, Marie's mother. Sara had evidently berated Raven for leaving Marie with her 'father' and forcing Marie into a situation where she would have to live outside the law. But Raven had taken it well, promising the other woman that she would never abandon her daughter again.

The helicopter slowed significantly, and Rogue focused on the mansion whose heli-pad they would soon be landing on. It was remarkably similar to Xavier's mansion in design, though it appeared to have a few more wings.

The interior, however, was much different. This was a true mansion, obviously never designed to be a school and dormitory. There were large rooms Rogue saw in passing as Mystique led her to her new room; a kitchen, living and sitting rooms, libraries Rogue knew she would soon be haunting, and bedroom suites.

There were two young men in one of the sitting rooms, arguing about something. The taller of the two, also much heavier muscled, said something in a language Erik told her was Russian. Suddenly, the other young man, who'd had hair Rogue could have sworn was silver despite his youth, was gone. Was his mutation invisibility? She shrugged and kept following Mystique. She was sure the other woman would tell her all she needed to know about her new housemates.

In one hallway, Rogue noticed an elevator that appeared to only go down.

"Is there another Cerebro here?" she asked.

"No," Mystique answered. "We have a Danger Room, various gyms to work out in and an engineering room, but no Cerebro. After all, we don't have a Charles Xavier to use it; it would have been a pointless expense."

Rogue nodded and made a mental note to ask her mother for instructions on the use of the Danger Room here. It had been too long since she'd had a proper workout.

_What the hell are you doin in this place, kid? If you're lonely, go back to Chuck's._

Though Rogue was surprised at suddenly hearing her Inner Logan again, she quickly answered him, 'No.'

_Marie_, he growled warningly.

But Erik snapped at him to keep quiet and the two men faded into the recesses of her mind, still arguing.

The room Mystique led her into was in a quiet wing of the house, and was bigger than Rogue's entire apartment. It also had a full in-suite bathroom, a large sized spa tub... a dramatic improvement over the simple shower stall that had been in both her apartment and her shared room at Xavier's... beckoning her with a long, warm soak. Mystique noticed Rogue eyeing the tub with longing and smiled indulgently.

"Why don't you relax and then get some sleep?" Mystique suggested gently. "We can talk more in the morning, and I'll show you around before I have to leave for my afternoon meeting."

Rogue was afraid of sleeping alone when the voices were so strong, but she was sure Mystique had other things she had to take care of. She smiled and nodded, surprised when Mystique pulled her into a hug.

Mystique kissed the top of Rogue's head and assured, "I'll be right next door if you need anything."

"Thanks, Mama."


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Notes:** Thoughts are signified by 'these'. Emphasis and the voices in Rogue's head are in _italics_. Telepathic conversation is underlined.

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Rogue didn't know how long she had slept, but she woke up in the dark, sobbing uncontrollably. The usual nightmares had been made even worse by the hatred the three newest residents of her head kept spewing. She sat up, scooting back against the bed's headboard, her knees drawn up to her chest.

Outside of swear words, the three thugs had a limited vocabulary, relentlessly taunting _mutie_ and _freak_ over and over.

Rogue jumped when the door to her new bedroom swung open. But seeing a concerned Mystique there, Rogue relaxed slightly. She didn't want to have woken up her new housemates with her nightmares before she had even met them. Mystique moved quickly to her side, sitting beside Rogue on the bed and pulling her closer.

"Sorry, Mama," Rogue whispered as the other woman soothed her.

"Don't ever apologize for needing me, Marie." Mystique sighed softly, "I have a lot to make up to you, but I'll never be able to if you keep me out of your life."

"I'm _here,_ aren't I?" Rogue asked bitterly.

"Yes, and I appreciate the fact that I will know that you're somewhere safe while I can't be with you, but just being here isn't going to help us reconnect. We both lost memories, and Irene is gone. I don't know if we'll be able to get back what we lost, because there was no one else who knew what we knew."

Rogue was silent for a minute before quietly asking, "What about Mesmero? If he did this, could he undo it, too?"

"I don't know," Mystique answered. "Even if he could, I don't know where he is, only Magneto would know that."

"You're going to break him out, aren't you?" Rogue asked quietly.

"When I find him," Mystique answered honestly. "They're keeping his location top secret. What he did was wrong, and I will kill him before I'd let him attempt it again, but he is important to me. And he's important to other people as well."

"Who, Sabretooth?" Rogue asked derisively. "We _should_ try to keep that animal happy."

Mystique sighed heavily, "No, Rogue. Magneto is important to his children and the rest of the Brotherhood."

_My son Pietro and my daughter Wanda,_ Erik informed her._ And not all mutants have the same ideals as Charles. Does that mean they shouldn't have a place to stay, a way to help each other?_

'Erik,' Rogue stopped his tirade. 'You know you'll never recruit me, so save the speech. I understand. It doesn't mean I have to like that Magneto's in charge.'

Erik fell silent, the only things in her head besides her own thoughts the sharp headache and vague words of all the voices fighting it out.

Rogue glanced at the clock on the wall across the room. Thanks to the enhanced night sight Logan's heightened senses gave her, she could see the hands and numbers even from that distance. 4:23. She had slept for three hours, longer than she had thought, but not long enough considering what she had been through. But in the state she was in, she wasn't sure she wanted to risk going to sleep again. One of the other voices might wake up instead of her.

"Do you want to talk about the nightmares?" Mystique asked softly.

"I have them almost every night," Rogue sighed. "Sometimes they're just one person's. On the worst nights, like tonight, it's a mix of everyone's. World War II, labs, relatively normal nightmares from the humans."

"You haven't found any way to control them better?"

Rogue shook her head, "I was going to try Yoga next, but I've tried self-hypnosis and meditation already with no results."

"Xavier wasn't able to help you?"

Rogue stiffened, but remembering what Mystique had said about letting her in, she admitted, "I didn't let him try. I… I touched him while he was in a coma, and I was afraid if he tried to help he'd know."

Mystique nodded slowly. "Whenever I get free time, I will look for someone to help you. Until then, is there anything that helps at all with the voices? I think you used to swim when Cody got too loud."

"When I was at Xavier's, Scott let me use the Danger Room. It helped tame the Wolverine. Erik prefers reading. Once the two of them are placated, they usually keep the others suppressed."

"Erik?" Mystique questioned softly.

Rogue answered carefully, "It's why I prefer for you to call him Magneto. The Erik in my head has been good to me but… well, it helps to think of them as different men."

Mystique nodded and leaned forward to press a kiss to Rogue's head, her hair a shield against her deadly skin.

"Let's go to the Danger Room, then, shall we?"

They both got up from the bed, and Rogue smiled shyly before saying, "Thank you for stopping the Mutant Registration Act. I know what you're doing in Senator Kelly's place is important."

Mystique smiled, "You're welcome. I never thought anyone would thank me for it. And I'm glad you understand. But remember, if you do truly need me for something, you're my daughter and you come first."

"Thank you, Mama," Rogue answered.

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There was quite an impressive array of weapons in a locker outside the Danger Room (Rogue had decided to call this one "the DR" so it wouldn't make her think overly much of Xavier's). Luckily, throwing knives were part of that arsenal. Mystique gave her a questioning look when she strapped the sheaths to her thighs. Rogue explained about Scott thinking it would be similar to claws.

It was very different from claws, of course, but Rogue had grown to like them. She was good with them, too. Rogue thought she might be a little rusty after having no practice for several months (she had quickly discovered that kitchen knives just weren't the same), but once she tested the weight of the knives in her hands, she took it up as if she had never stopped.

Mentioning that she hadn't had a good workout since first going undercover as Senator Kelly, Mystique joined Rogue in the DR. They were on the twelfth level when the robot Rogue was fighting hit one of the knives out of her hand, hard. It flew to where Mystique was pummeling another of the robots, and Rogue realized it was going to hit the other woman in the back.

Mama, look out.

Mystique ducked, the knife's point jamming in one of the robot's arm joints. Mystique called a halt to the program, turning to stare at Rogue.

"How did you do that?"

Rogue blinked, realizing that she had psychically shouted instead of doing it out loud. And yet Mystique had still heard her.

"I… I don't know. I was able to use Erik's power once when I really needed it after I thought it had faded. Through practice, I realized that if I concentrated I could call it up again; I guess I can still access Xavier's power as well."

Mystique looked thoughtful, a hint of worry in her yellow eyes. "It might be better if no one else knew that. Xavier is very powerful, and there are those who would try to get their hands on you if they thought they could access that power without having to go through the X-Men."

Rogue nodded her understanding. Okay, Mama.

This might come in handy someday, Mystique thought back to her.

_Like kids in a candy store,_ Erik commented fondly in Rogue's head.

Rogue grinned.

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Half an hour later, Mystique had finished giving Rogue a tour of the house, including giving her the codes to some of the limited access areas, like the DR and Mystique's office, which contained the phone Rogue would be able to use to place calls she didn't want traced. They scheduled a time for Rogue to call "Senator Kelly" in three days, Mystique telling her that they would schedule future calls then.

On the way to the kitchen where she would meet the rest of the household, Rogue asked, "When you found me in the alley, you said that it was Destiny that lead you to me. That was Mama Irene's codename, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was," answered Mystique, an almost wistful tone in her voice. "Before she died she post-dated a letter to reach me at the right time and told me that you needed my help and where to find you. She also sent me a picture of the three of us together so I would remember your place in my life and my true form."

"Can I see it?"

"I left it in Washington, I'll bring it with me next time I'm home."

"Okay." Rogue paused for a moment before asking, "Why _were_ you using that form?"

"I don't know." Mystique shrugged. "I can't think of any reason Magneto would want me to look like that; maybe Mesmero got creative, I have no idea."

They had reached the kitchen door, and Rogue followed Mystique into the kitchen. Five young men and a young woman sat at the table. They all looked up at her, and Rogue wondered how many of them knew her history with Magneto. Mystique had said she hadn't told them anything, but that didn't necessarily mean they hadn't found out some other way.

"Everyone, this is my daughter, Rogue, she'll be staying in my wing of the mansion. Rogue," Mystique indicated the first of Rogue's new housemates, "this is Wanda Maximoff, also known as the Scarlet Witch."

Wanda had auburn curls that fell just past her shoulders and light blue eyes. Magneto's eyes. The other young woman smiled at Rogue but said nothing.

"Her twin brother, Pietro."

"Quicksilver," the silver-haired young man she had seen the night before smirked as he cut Mystique off. "What'd you do to your hair?"

He had been eating a cereal that was more sugar than anything else, his spoon and arm moving so fast it had appeared to be a blur to Rogue. He had the same light blue eyes as his sister, and a slightly darker complexion.

"Stress," she answered softly.

Why let him know that it was his father's fault her hair was two colors? It wasn't her place to drive a wedge between them. Not that knowing Magneto had hurt her would necessarily do that, but she and Mystique had already decided to keep Rogue's encounter with Magneto a secret until it had to be brought up. Mystique didn't want the Brotherhood members giving Rogue a hard time if they believed it would put them in Magneto's good graces.

"And this is Colossus," Mystique continued as if she hadn't been interrupted.

Maybe Pietro interrupted her so often she was accustomed to ignoring him. The man Rogue had seen Quicksilver arguing with stood up and came around the table to take her gloved hand in his large one.

"Piotr Nikolievitch Rasputin," he introduced himself, his voice rough with an obvious Russian accent. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you, too," Rogue smiled up at him.

Colossus was very tall, well over six feet, and had black hair and dark blue eyes. He was very attractive, but there was an air of sadness around him that made Rogue think of a caged animal that wanted nothing more than to be released.

"Dominic Petros, also know as Avalanche."

Another man, this one with dark brown hair, brown eyes and an olive complexion, nodded.

"And Remy LeBeau, also known as Gambit."

"Mystique saved the best for last, chere," Gambit grinned. "Remy be at your beck and call."

Mystique frowned, "Stay away from her, LeBeau."

Remy turned his red-on-black eyes in Mystique's direction. "You injure Remy! What has Remy ever..."

"He's married," Mystique flatly told her daughter.

Remy began stuttering about 'arranged marriage' and 'separation'. Rogue tried not to laugh. Even if Mystique hadn't warned her away, she wouldn't have been interested in the Cajun. He was too smooth. She wanted someone real, who would never hide who he was or what he was feeling behind slick words and suggestive glances.

Mystique glanced at the clock and then at her.

"Do you want to say good-bye here or walk me to the helicopter?"

"I'll walk you out," Rogue said quickly, somehow not yet ready to be left alone with her new housemates.

It was only after she had said an emotional goodbye to Mystique, promised to call at the appointed time or as soon as she needed something, and gone back into the house when she remembered that Mystique had not warned the others not to touch her.

"Great, now I have to go track down all of them and tell them about my skin," she muttered to herself.

"Actually, Mystique told us last night."

Rogue nearly jumped out of her skin before realizing what Wanda had said.

"She did?"

Wanda nodded, "And let me tell you, Avalanche was _not_ happy at being woken up for that."

"Sorry," Rogue said softly.

"It's okay," Wanda responded.

The other woman shrugged and tossed her hair back, giving Rogue a once over.

"You want me to show you around town? We could go shopping, too, if you'd like. I assume Mystique gave you money."

Rogue nodded. "If you're sure it wouldn't be any trouble."

"Trouble?" Wanda laughed. She linked her arm through Rogue's and steered them in the direction of Rogue's room. "You have no idea how nice it's going to be not being the only female in the house anymore. I swear, one of these days those guys are going to actually have a pissing contest in the backyard or something. Way too much testosterone for a single household."

Rogue laughed. "Mama told all of you, right?"

Wanda nodded.

"And Gambit still hit on me?"

"Honey," Wanda said in a trust-me-I-know voice, "that man flirts with any pretty girl."

Having reached her room, Rogue slid her wallet into the pocket of her jeans and grabbed a jacket. It was cool outside, and the jacket would be added protection against accidental touches. As she was putting it on, something caught Wanda's eye.

"A dogtag?" Wanda questioned.

Rogue touched the metal hanging around her neck, "It belongs to Wolverine, a friend of mine. He gave it to me for safekeeping. He saved my life."

Wanda studied her for a minute. "He saved you from my father, didn't he?"

"How did you know?" Rogue asked after nodding in the affirmative.

Wanda linked her arm back through Rogue's and the two young women headed toward the mansion's garage.

"Your powers and Dad's 'mishap' at the Statue of Liberty. He wouldn't risk himself like that. I'm sorry he did that to you, I hope you won't hold it against us."

"I won't."

Rogue smiled sadly. She hadn't been at Xavier's long enough to bond with any of the girls, and except for Jean and Storm they had all been younger than her, too young to understand her feelings of loneliness and fear at not being able to touch others without hurting them. It was going to be nice to have a friend her own age who she could share things with.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Notes:** Thoughts are signified by 'these'. Emphasis and the voices in Rogue's head are in _italics_. Telepathic conversation is underlined.

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"Would you like to tell me what's bothering you, Scott?"

The field leader of the X-Men looked up at his mentor and shrugged. "It's only been two days since Rogue's last call and I'm already worried. It's driving me to distraction a bit, and Jean isn't too happy about it having been on my mind constantly since then."

Scott sighed and leaned back in the chair he was sitting in. He had come to Xavier's office to get an assignment, but the older man had been on the phone until a few moments ago.

"Would it help if the next time she calls you asked her to check in more than once a month?" Xavier asked.

Scott sighed and ran a hand through his hair, mussing it a bit. "I don't know. I just can't help feeling that she's our responsibility, and she's out there all alone. I guess I'd feel better if I at least knew where she was."

"Have you asked her?"

"No," Scott answered. "I didn't want to make her mad and risk her not calling at all anymore. You never explained why you can't use Cerebro just to check up on her."

Xavier frowned momentarily before answering. "Do you remember those notes she left?" At Scott's nod, he continued, "In the one she wrote to me, she confessed to having touched me when I was unconscious in the infirmary. It certainly explains the strong mental block she had before she left, and I assume it masks her from Cerebro as well."

It was Scott's turn to frown. "Don't you think after all this time your power would have faded?"

"I don't know, Scott. Until it becomes necessary, I'm reluctant to track her down when we know she wants to be left alone." When Scott would have argued, Xavier put on his best commander-in-chief attitude, "Right now I need you to go pick up the mutant I've been tracking. Take Storm with you." Softening somewhat, he added, "If Rogue ever misses a call-in, we'll see if we can find her."

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Logan quickly ducked away from the meaty fist intent on smashing in his nose. Having successfully dodged his opponent's blow, Logan delivered a blindingly fast left hook to the man's jaw, throwing his entire body weight behind it and knocking the man out. Their fight had lasted fifteen minutes, much longer than it needed to, but Logan had learned his lesson in Laughlin City.

He didn't end fights too soon or let any hits touch him that would seriously injure regular humans. And he _never_ popped his claws in front of anyone. He tried not to do anything that would brand him a mutant. The bars that had fight cages and paid a decent amount to the night's winner were few and far between. He didn't want to have to cross any of them off his circuit like he'd been forced to do with Laughlin City.

Logan had a small cabin he had built in the Canadian wilderness ten years ago, but he had lost almost all of his other earthly possessions when his camper had exploded. He was trying to rebuild his savings from scratch with prize money. In the eight months since he had left Westchester County, he had earned a lot, almost the full amount he'd had before. Of course, that didn't take into account all the possessions he'd had in the camper and the camper, trailer and motorcycle themselves.

The camper had seen better days, of course, but it had served him well in the times when he was traveling and there weren't any motels handy. And the motorcycle had been his pride and joy, having restored it by hand practically from a hunk of scrap metal. He had Scooter's motorcycle now, of course, but it wasn't the same. He had taken the machine to piss off the strait-laced man and because he'd had no other mode of transportation, but he wasn't a thief.

When he went back, and he knew he would to tell Xavier how his search went at the very least, he would return Scott's motorcycle. He was determined to have his own mode of transportation by then. He also needed to have the means to support himself before he considered going back to the school.

He had thought about going straight to Alkali Lake from Xavier's, but he knew if he learned anything he'd want to compare it to records Xavier was sure to be able to get access to, and if he didn't, he would immediately want to go and confront Xavier to find out what else the telepath knew. Either way, he would be going back to Salem Center straight from the abandoned military base, and he didn't want to have to depend on anyone else financially when he did.

Logan exited the fight cage and collected his winnings for the night from the manager, heading to the bar for a few beers before he left. The men who ran these fight nights were more welcoming if they knew you spent at least a part of your winnings in their establishments.

As he nursed a beer at the bar, Logan scanned the rest of the interior. There was a pay phone near the men's room, and he thought briefly of calling the mansion. But he had avoided calling so far. He wasn't comfortable with small talk, and the way he had left had been a little awkward. Who would answer the phone if he did call? What would he say?

Logan finished off his second beer of the night and headed out, leaving a generous tip on the counter. There was a motel down the road about two miles and if he turned in and got an early start in the morning he could make it to the next fight bar by tomorrow night.

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Accepting the disposable cup of mocha handed to her, Rogue smiled as Wanda sat down across from her. The small table had been the only one available when they had reached the mall, so Rogue had given Wanda her order and sat down to wait for the other young woman. It gave her time to think about the oddness of the situation. Here she was, a twenty minute drive from Xavier's school, about to have a caffeinated beverage with the daughter of the man who had tried to kill her.

Rogue decided to come right out and ask one of her greatest fears about her new home. "Are you sure you're okay with me being at the mansion?"

"What do you mean?" Wanda asked, stirring cream into her coffee.

"Magneto is your father; I would understand you hating me because I was part of the reason he went to jail."

Wanda shrugged, "If it wasn't you it would have been someone else, it's not like you chose the power you have. And you have to understand that Pietro and I only learned he was our father a few months before he went to jail. That's why we have a different last name. We were adopted when we were very young. We aren't devout Brotherhood members, we just happen to live in the mansion."

Rogue let a relieved sigh escape.

"In fact," Wanda continued, "Pietro and I have been approached about joining another group called the Avengers. But I don't have total control over my powers and I don't want to be part of a group like that until I do. And Pietro and I don't want to be separated."

Rogue nodded, unable to keep from feeling a bit jealous that Wanda had the hope of controlling her powers. She was also envious that Wanda had family that wanted to stay close. She knew Mystique's work undercover as Senator Kelly was important, but she couldn't help wondering what it would be like if Mystique had been able to stay. Trying not to feel sorry for herself, Rogue decided to learn more about her other housemates.

"What about the others?" she asked. "Are they more involved in the Brotherhood? None of them were there during the Statue of Liberty… event."

"Avalanche is, but he was on another mission for Dad at the time. Gambit comes and goes, he's a thief and more of a mercenary than an actual member of the group," Wanda paused. "Piotr, well, I don't know why he's with us. He's exceptionally strong and can turn himself into living steel, but he doesn't believe in my father's cause. I think Dad has something on him, but he doesn't trust me or Pietro enough to talk about it."

Rogue made a thoughtful noise and decided to change the subject slightly. "Do any of you have jobs outside of the Brotherhood?"

"Well, like I said, Gambit's a thief. Piotr isn't here legally as far as I know, and Avalanche restores old cars, gets a pretty good price for his work, too. I was fired from my last job because my control slipped for a moment and my boss found out I was a mutant. So unless I want to change my name, it won't be very easy to get another job. And Pietro has a hard time finding something he can do. Because of his power, he likes to be moving as constantly as possible, so he's never found anything that doesn't bore him inside a week. He's between jobs currently."

When Wanda picked up her cup and sipped her coffee, Rogue quietly began the story of her life in New York. By the time she had shared her tale, they were both finished with their beverages.

The two young women spent hours in the mall, talking and getting to know each other more than they actually shopped. But Rogue did go back to the mansion with more clothes to add to her meagre wardrobe and more of a sense of belonging. She and Wanda were very different, but they did have some things in common, their relatively recent reunions with long lost parents not the least of it.

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"Senator Kelly's office."

"Yes, this is Councilwoman White," Rogue said in her best "official" voice. "I have an appointment to speak with the Senator."

"Of course, Councilwoman," the secretary replied. "Just one moment please."

While she waited on hold, Rogue leaned back in the swivel chair in Mystique's office in the Brotherhood mansion and gently moved the seat from left to right with her feet. Idly she wondered if she could call Scott from this very phone in just under a month. She'd have to ask Mystique if the security of the line extended to all calls or just ones made to Senator Kelly's office.

"Sorry for the wait, Marie," Mystique's voice finally came on the line. "I was talking to a private investigator I've got looking for various privately-funded labs."

Rogue vaguely wondered if Kelly's office was soundproof enough for the secretary not to hear her mother's voice suddenly coming from inside.

"That's okay, Mama. I know what you're doing is important."

"We've been over this before, my daughter, it isn't as important as you." Mystique paused only a moment before moving on. "How are the others treating you?"

"Wanda's great," Rogue replied. "She and I have been getting along the last three days like a house on fire. Pietro is giving me a chance because I'm her friend. Avalanche pretty much keeps himself busy in the garage, and Piotr is always somewhere quiet with his drawing tablet. He sits with me sometimes in the library when I'm reading to appease Erik."

"How _are_ the voices?" Mystique asked gently.

Rogue sighed, "It takes more time in the DR and gym to quiet Wolverine than it used to, but controlling he and Erik to a certain degree makes it possible for them to control the others most of the time." She paused for a moment before admitting, "The nightmares are getting worse, though."

"I'm sorry, Marie," Mystique said. "We will find someone to help you."

"I hope so," Rogue replied softly.

There was silence for a moment before Rogue decided to risk the subject of contacting the X-Men.

"Is this line secure for all outgoing calls?"

"Yes, but why?"

"Ever since I left Xavier's, I call in once a month and talk briefly with Cyclops."

There was silence on Mystique's end, and Rogue was afraid she had made her mad.

"It's only to let them know I'm okay, so they don't try to find me."

"What happens if one of them does, now that you're so close?"

Rogue answered honestly, "I don't know. I'll deal with it if it does happen. But I'm not going back. I don't belong there. And as long as you want to try to be a family again, I want to stay where I can talk to you."

"Thank you for giving me the chance," Mystique replied, a distinct quiver in her voice. "There's... there's something I want you to know. I have two sons."

"I have two brothers?" Rogue questioned, her interest peaked. "Are they somewhere close by?"

"No," Mystique quickly answered. "The first is Graydon Creed. He's completely human and he hates mutants, he'd kill you in an instant. The other is Kurt Wagner. He also goes by the name Nightcrawler. He's blue and has yellow eyes like me, but he has a tail and cannot change his appearance. I gave them both up when they were very young."

"Wait... Creed, as in Victor Creed?"

Erik had told her the aliases of his other accomplices some time ago.

"Yes, Sabretooth is Graydon's father. I was undercover about forty years ago as someone Sabretooth was involved with. When Graydon was born, I sent him away to be raised at a boarding school. Somehow he found out the truth about his parentage and has sworn to kill his father and me."

"And Kurt?" Rogue asked, still reeling from what Mystique was revealing to her.

"I was living as the wife of a wealthy German count ten years later when I got pregnant by another mutant. When Kurt was born, I had a difficult delivery and slipped, showing my true form. To save myself, I abandoned him. He was raised by circus performers."

'And I'm supposed to believe that you won't abandon me when I'm not even really your own flesh and blood?' Rogue thought miserably.

_She loves you, my dear,_ Erik reminded her. _And she has kept track of her sons_._ If circumstances had been different, maybe she would have kept them both_.

Into the phone, Rogue said, "I'd like to meet Kurt someday, if that's okay."

"Maybe someday," Mystique answered quietly. There was a long pause before she continued, "I have a meeting I have to get to in a few minutes, Rogue. Can you call me the same time next week?"

"Alright."

"I... I love you, Marie. Don't forget that."

Rogue smiled slightly at the assurance and hesitated only a moment before answering, "I love you, too, Mama."

"Thank you for that," Mystique said quietly before hanging up.

Rogue set the receiver back in its cradle and got up. She, Wanda and Pietro were supposed to do a joint session in the DR in an hour and she hadn't eaten lunch yet. On the walk to the kitchen, Rogue removed her gloves. She didn't like to handle food with them on whenever possible, and the others had been planning to eat while she was on the phone. She thought everyone would be safe from her.

Unfortunately, her timing was slightly off. Piotr was just coming out of the kitchen as she walked in, and they accidently ran into each other, Rogue's hands automatically latching onto his arms to stop herself from fully crashing into him. Her bare hands touched his bare arms.

And nothing happened.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Notes:** Thoughts are signified by 'these'. Emphasis and the voices in Rogue's head are in _italics_. Telepathic conversation is underlined.

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Rogue stared in open-mouthed shock at her bare, white-skinned hand resting on Piotr's tanned flesh. She was so paralyzed by the complete and utter surprise of the lack of pull of her power that she couldn't speak, couldn't think, couldn't even move. Tears came to her eyes and slipped silently down her pale face.

"Rogue?" Piotr asked after a few moments. "Are you okay?"

She lifted her tear-streaked face to look at him, choking out, "I'm... touching you."

Piotr frowned slightly, obviously having forgotten about her power, or else not having realized her hands weren't gloved. He made no move to pull away from her touch, and Rogue could only be grateful for it. It had been so long since she had felt someone else's skin on her own without immediately being sorry for the negative affect it had.

"Perhaps your powers have shut down for some reason?" he asked softly, lifting one hand to wipe the tears from her face.

Gasping at the gentle contact, Rogue had to concentrate on herself for a minute before she could answer, "No. My power is a steady hum beneath my skin that reacts violently the instant I touch someone. It's not reacting to you, but it's still there, waiting. You... you must be immune for some reason."

"Maybe it is because of _my_ mutation," Piotr observed, referencing his ability to turn himself into living organic steel.

Rogue nodded slowly, "Maybe."

Wanda came into the room and Rogue reluctantly pulled away from the first skin-to-skin contact she'd had in a very long time without hurting someone.

"I'm sorry for running into you," she apologized to Piotr.

She excused herself quietly and left to go to her room and think. She completely forgot about lunch.

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After an absent-minded nod in Wanda's direction, Piotr started to leave the kitchen.

"Piotr, wait," Wanda called.

Turning to face her, Piotr waited for Wanda to speak.

"Was Rogue just touching you with her bare skin?" she asked excitedly.

When the redhead made to go after their newest housemate, Piotr stopped her.

"She does not have control, I am simply immune."

"Oh," Wanda said in obvious disappointment. She studied him for a moment thoughtfully. "Do you like Rogue?"

"She is a nice person," he answered warily. "I do not know her well yet."

"Well, none of us do, she's only been here a few days," Wanda responded. "But you can touch her, and I know what that means to her. I think, unless you have some objection, that you should take her out on a date. You may be the only chance she has at a semi-normal life."

Piotr seemed surprised by the thought but nodded slowly, "I will think about it."

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Wanda told Rogue about her idea the next morning, so it wasn't as much of a surprise to Rogue when later that day Piotr tracked her down and asked her out. To ease into the situation easier, they decided on a daytime date. They chose a picnic in the park in the center of town followed by a trip to the New York Museum of Art. Rogue was a little surprised to find that she enjoyed herself for the whole 'date'.

Once they had gotten over their initial awkwardness, they found that they had many things to talk about, and the day had gone by much faster than Rogue had thought it would. It was dark by the time they made it back home.

Standing on the front porch with Piotr, Rogue was suddenly nervous for the first time in hours. Piotr, who must have somehow sensed her nervousness, slowly moved closer to her and dipped his head. Lightly, he brushed his lips over hers. The gesture was soft and pleasant, but nothing more. When Piotr pulled away, Rogue looked up into his dark blue eyes. His expression was guarded. Had he not felt anything either?

"Nothing?" she dared, needing to break the silence that could soon become awkward.

Piotr breathed a sigh of relief at her tone and confirmed, "Nothing. You are a very nice girl and I would like us to be friends, but..."

Piotr shrugged his broad, muscled shoulders.

"I completely agree," Rogue said with a small smile.

It would have been so easy if she had been attracted to him and he to her. Easy to make some kind of life with someone who was immune to her deadly skin, someone she could give all of herself to. A tear escaped to slide down her cheek at the thought.

As he had in the kitchen when they had first discovered he could touch her, Piotr lifted one of his large hands and wiped the tear from her cheek, his hand staying to cup her face for a moment before he let go.

"Maybe there are others who are immune," Rogue mused aloud.

Piotr looked thoughtful for a moment before he spoke.

"Any time you need someone to hold hands with, or to hug or just sit next to without having to wear gloves, I am here."

"You'd do that for me?" Rogue asked tremulously.

Piotr raised a hand to cup her face again and said simply, "Yes."

"Thank you," Rogue smiled radiantly.

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"The taxi's here; are you ready to go?" Rogue asked from the doorway to Piotr's room.

She was about to be separated from the man who had become one of the very few people she had ever called 'best friend', but Rogue knew it was best for him. Piotr was a friendly person by nature, but staying in Magneto's mansion was understandably making him bitter. A month after their failed attempt at a date and the start of their unconventional friendship, Rogue had finally convinced him to tell her why it was that he stayed.

Piotr's older brother, Mikhail, had been a cosmonaut whose shuttle had crashed. Magneto had contacted Piotr and told him that if Piotr worked for him, he'd tell Piotr what the government had done with Mikhail's body. Wanting to ease her friend's turmoil and free him from Magneto's grasp, Rogue had sifted through Magneto's memories. The process had been terrifying, the Erik in her head unable to keep her from reliving his time in the concentration camps despite his best efforts. But in the end, she had been able to tell Piotr that Magneto knew nothing of his brother's final resting place.

Rogue had broken down into tears after, and Piotr had held her in his lap and let her cry for nearly two hours. Having someone who could physically hold and comfort her had helped immensely as it had after nightmares and during times in the past month when she had been suffering greatly from the voices in her head. They talked quietly about their experiences for several minutes before she told him that Xavier's school would be a better place for him.

The only convincing it had taken was Rogue promising that their friendship would not end just because they were no longer living in the same place. As long as Pitor kept information he shared with the Professor about her to a minimum.

Piotr took one last look around his room and nodded in answer to Rogue's question.

"Then let's get you out of here," Rogue responded, picking up the smallest of his bags and heading for the front drive where Piotr's taxi waited.

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Rogue had called the taxi service and paid for it herself, requesting a van in deference to Piotr's bags and his large frame. It had helped to keep her mind preoccupied rather than dwelling on losing him. For though she knew they would stay in touch, she would no longer get to see him every day. She wouldn't sit in the library and read as he sketched her. Wouldn't sit with him on the porch swing and listen to stories of his life in Russia as he showed her his sketches of his home and family.

The little things like that had been most important to both of them. At first Rogue had been afraid that she was the only one getting something out of their friendship, but she had quickly realized that he shared his fears and hopes with her just as much as she did with him. Piotr was closer to her than he was to anyone else in the house, and he had already been living with them over a year before she had shown up.

She had briefly considered taking him to the school herself, but knew the X-Men would have questions she didn't want to answer. She was also afraid that she might be tempted to stay. As much as Rogue looked forward to each week's call with Mystique and as much as she liked her housemates, she also had to live with the constant fear of what would happen when Magneto was free. For though he wasn't scheduled to be released as far as she knew, Mystique was determined to rescue him, and the Erik in Rogue's head was, of course, very familiar with Magneto's persistance in getting what he wanted. And Rogue had no doubt that he wanted out of jail.

When Piotr had asked why she hadn't stayed at Xavier's herself, Rogue had explained what had happened before and after the Statue of Liberty incident. Piotr had understood her reticence. He had also understood, after how well they had gotten to know each other in the past month, why she had been so willing to give Mystique a chance to redeem herself. Piotr and Rogue had shared so much of their lives together that they could at times read each other's minds without use of Rogue's borrowed powers.

"You'll be fine," Piotr assured her.

Rogue smiled. She was supposed to be the one reassuring Piotr that he was making the right choice in leaving the Brotherhood House. But instead he was convincing her that she would be okay staying behind.

Approaching the back of the van, Rogue tossed the small bag in and watched the driver help Piotr situate the remaining luggage.

"That everything?" the man asked.

Piotr nodded and turned to Rogue. Rogue smiled and opened her arms. Pitor wrapped his arms around her and lifted her a foot off the ground in a powerful hug.

"Ya budu sku chai," he said softly in her ear.

Rogue smiled sadly; over the past month he had taught her some Russian phrases. "I'll miss you, too. Ya lu blue ti biah."

"And I love you, my dearest friend," Piotr responded. "If you do not stick to our agreement of meeting once a week, I will come kidnap you."

Rogue laughed softly and nodded.

Piotr set her back on her feet and got into the van. Wanda came out of the house and stood with Rogue until the van disappered through the entry gate of the property.

"You okay?" Wanda asked as they both walked back into the house.

"I'll be fine," Rogue answered. "We'll still see each other, just not as often."

"I know you'll miss him."

Rogue turned to look at the other young woman, "You and Pietro are my friends too, Wanda. If I've made you feel..."

"It's not that at all," Wanda interrupted. "It was just special between you and Piotr. Almost like it is with me and Pietro."

Rogue laughed at the thought of she and the over-six-foot Russian being twins.

"That's better," Wanda said, tucking her arm through Rogue's. "Come on, let's go do a training session with the others. Take your mind off missing him."

Together they tracked down their other housemates, and for the first time since Rogue had moved in, all of them got ready to test their skills against each other and as a team in a simulated battle scene.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Notes:** Thoughts are signified by 'these'. Emphasis and the voices in Rogue's head are in _italics_. Telepathic conversation is underlined.

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Rogue didn't think a DR session would really take her mind off the fact that for all intents and purposes she had just lost her best friend, but she hoped it would help distract her. And she was always up for a good workout, an attitude that was partially her own and partially due to the fact that Logan'd had an impact on her life. And of course Erik preached constant vigilance, and what was the point of being always aware if you couldn't deal with things that did happen? She knew full well from her own experiences that even when you didn't go looking for trouble, it always found you.

Going up against live opponents would be harder for Rogue than practice was because she didn't have to worry about touching and absorbing the robots and holograms in the DR. She knew she had to get used to the very real danger in a relatively safe environment or she'd never truly be able to deal with it in the outside world.

Rogue went to the women's changing room down the hall from the DR with Wanda. A week before, Rogue had received a uniform from Forge, a man her mother apparently used as the Brotherhood's tech supplier. Although he was not a member nor did he live in the House, Forge had made the uniforms of all the Brotherhood members.

The bodysuits were made of an advanced material that was a hybrid of mostly Kevlar and spandex. They were formfitting without being obscenely tight and allowed full range of movement, something the Wolverine in her head greatly appreciated after the stiffness and restrictive quality of the X-Men's leather uniforms. The suits were tear-resistant and also featured some heat and cold resistance as well. Rogue thought they were wonderful.

Wanda's uniform consisted of a princess-cut red sleeveless swimsuit-style body with a full-length cat suit of pink underneath. Wanda also wore a red cape and red boots that came up to her midthigh. Her curly hair was held out of the way with a red headdress that framed her face and gave her the look of a medieval sorceress. Rogue had come to see that 'Scarlet Witch' was a very apt codename for her friend the first time she had seen Wanda in uniform.

Rogue had seen the guys' uniforms at different times when she passed them going to and from the DR or in sessions she had individually done with them in the past few weeks. Though he wouldn't be there today of course, Piotr's uniform had been the most simplistic. A pair of dark blue pants and black boots had been all he wore because of his ability to turn himself into organic steel. The pants were specially made to stretch when he changed forms because his steel frame was a bit taller and bulkier than his normal state.

In deference to his power of super speed, Pietro's uniform was a full-coverage bodysuit of an even more specialized material made to withstand the friction of his hyper movements. It was a light gray-blue color with white design accents of a lightning bolt diagonal across his torso and thin stripes around his biceps and thighs. He wore no shoes or accessories, "feet" being built into his uniform.

Dominic, who actually preferred to always be called Avalanche, wore a solid navy blue uniform. But he had more accessories than Wanda, Pietro or Piotr. His boots were silver and came halfway up his shins, and he had special equipment he wore over his head and forearms to more fully focus his abilities. He didn't wear the extra pieces in the DR because he wasn't allowed to use the full extent of his seismic powers indoors. They would have had to rebuild every time he used it, otherwise.

Remy actually almost always wore his uniform as far as Rogue could tell. In the time she had been living in the Brotherhood House, he had only been in residence about half of that time. Rogue had only seen him without his uniform a few times, either when he was going on one of his "dates" that Wanda pointed out always turned into a one night stand or when he was doing something with the two young women like going to a movie in town. When they did do "normal" things, Remy often wore sunglasses to hide his red on black eyes that immediately marked him a mutant. Remy still flirted shamelessly with both Wanda and Rogue when he was around, and sometimes Rogue felt like putting in earplugs thanks to his annoying habit of always talking about himself in the third person. Neither girl took the playboy seriously.

Remy's boots came up to his knees. His pants were black with magenta stripes on the legs. His shirt was magenta with a blue neckpiece that connected to the odd headdress he wore to keep his long hair out of the way, the majority sticking out in a ponytail through a hole in the back while the floppy, shorter strands stuck out of the top in a hairdo that reminded Rogue of a tamed down porcupine. He wore gloves that only had two fingers and a brown trench coat. Remy's playing cards, which he used as mini explosives with his kinetic energy ability, were always tucked away somewhere on his person, and he sometimes carried a retractable metal bo staff that he was quite talented with.

Mystique had actually designed Rogue's uniform without her input, but Rogue loved it. The long-sleeved bodysuit was a rich forest green with black accents, including slender rectangles that lay a few inches below her collarbone and large sections of black on the outer edge of each leg that ran all the way up to her armpits and then ran down the inner side of her sleeves. The collar of the bodysuit extended up from her shoulders about an inch, but the front of the collar was open, a V that plunged several inches to reveal a glimpse of her cleavage. She had ordered a pair of boots like Wanda's in black, but they wouldn't be in for another week. Until then, she wore black tennis shoes.

Rogue wore a simple pair of thin black silk gloves that stopped at her wrists with her uniform so she could peel them off quickly if she had to. She was still trying to figure out what to do with her gloves if she ever had to take them off in a fight. Luckily, she hadn't had to find out yet.

"Ready?" Wanda asked when she was done getting dressed, leaving her cape off for the less formal setting of a team exercise.

"Just a second," Rogue replied.

She pulled the thigh sheath of her throwing knives out of her locker and strapped it on. Together the two young women left the locker room and went into the DR, where Remy was already waiting for them. The Cajun grinned as his gaze appreciatively swept their figures.

"Gambit don't know what he did to deserve living with two such beautiful femmes, but Gambit think he should do it more often."

Wanda faked an overly dramatic swoon and Rogue rolled her eyes. Both women laughed when Remy looked offended.

"Oh, come on, Rem," Rogue said. "You can't expect us to actually fall for your lines. We hear them _way_ too often."

_And they're hardly original_, the Erik in Rogue's head added. _One would wonder about the intelligence of the women he beds if his secondary mutation wasn't persuasive charm_.

Startled, Rogue asked Erik, 'What do you mean? I didn't know he had more than one mutation.'

I'm sorry, my dear, I should have told you sooner, but you seem to be immune to it, perhaps a side affect of Charles' powers. Wanda is immune because of her magic ability. Our Mr. LeBeau can make anyone believe him if he looks into their eyes, which I'm sure helps him in his conquests.

Unaware of Rogue's inner dialogue, Remy smiled good-naturedly and bowed to she and Wanda. Pietro and Avalanche joined them in the DR just then.

"Striking out again, LeBeau?" Avalanche asked.

"At least Gambit try," Remy responded airily.

Avalanche unknowingly mimicked Rogue's earlier response to Remy by rolling his eyes. "First of all, LeBeau, Wanda and Rogue are my team _and_ housemates. Secondly, not every guy has their type narrowed down to _all_ women. No offense, girls."

"None taken," Wanda and Rogue chorused.

Before Remy could respond to Avalanche's words, Pietro took charge.

"Alright, as much as I love to sit around and listen to you guys trade barbs all day, we're here for a reason. We've been slacking off in the team training department for several months now, and I think today should be the start of an actual training schedule."

The others nodded, Rogue nearly dancing in place at her eagerness to be an official part of a team. They spent the next several minutes hashing out a schedule that worked for all of them. They would meet for group training Monday, Wednesday and Friday for an hour before lunch. Individual sessions would still be up to that person's preferences.

As self-appointed team leader, Pietro chose a simulation and ordered them to stand in a circle with their backs to each other in preparation of an attack from a group of ten humans, the "first wave" of the adversaries Pietro had set up for them. Rogue stood between Avalanche and Remy, with Wanda on Avalanche's other side and Pietro closing the circle by standing between Remy and Wanda.

"No powers for the first phase," Pietro ordered as the artificial humans advanced on the group of mutants.

Wanda was the weakest of the group at hand to hand. Rogue had trained more in that area than others because the nature of her primary mutation caused it to be a last resort and she never knew when the powers she had absorbed from others might no longer be available to her. The extra physical training had given her nearly even footing with Remy and Avalanche, who only exceeded her because of their size, physical strength and experience. Rogue wasn't boasting to say that she was better at hand to hand than Pietro. He was built more lean than the other two men, and relied more heavily on his powers to get out of situations.

The ten holographic men were defeated quickly, each member of the team taking out two except for Avalanche and Wanda, Wanda unable to defeat her second assailant quickly enough and Avalanche coming to her rescue for a total of three 'kills'. The holographs were set to disappear when a debilitating blow was struck. Remy had laughed and called Rogue bloodthirsty when they had run a sim together before and Rogue had snapped the necks of two men before slicing open a third with her knives. But although Pietro had not said 'no weapons', Rogue was using simple close combat skill in this scenario until he said otherwise.

When the last human disappeared, twelve robots made their way onto the playing field, two of them hover-drones with wickedly sharp spines that pointed down at their intended victims.

"Powers can be used now," Pietro commented as one of the robots took a swipe at Avalanche. "And we have a surplus of spare heads right now, so if you could limit the destruction of bodies, that would be great."

"Anything you say, homme," Remy smirked.

He charged a card and threw it at the head of the furthest robot, not wanting the explosion to injure his team members. The small but powerful kinetic blast blew the robot's head to pieces, causing the body to automatically shut down. Smiling in Rogue's direction, Remy drew his bo staff from inside his coat and turned to the closest robot for a more up close and personal fight.

Having successfully dodged several swipes of the robot attacking him, Avalanche circled around behind it and grabbed its head. The robot and its body vibrated as Avalanche used a miniscule amount of his gift. The head came loose, and Avalanche shrugged when an arm did as well. Just as another robot was about to hit him from behind, Wanda sent the one nearest her crashing into it, her magical 'hex' ability making them both glow red slightly. Avlanche nodded in her direction in thanks. Unfortunately, the collision had not been strong enough and the robots disentangled themselves to begin their attack again.

Meanwhile, Pietro had run in tight, super fast circles under one of the drones to form a wind tunnel that swept the machine up toward the ceiling. When it reached the top of the dome-shaped room, the drone automatically took itself out of attack mode and remained passive. The drones were harder to replace than the humanoid-shaped robots and therefore had more failsafes.

Rogue went after the second drone, carefully aiming her knives at the servos that allowed the machine to fly. When her third throw disabled the drone, it came crashing down on one of the regular robots, smashing the other machine. Rogue flinched at the sound of metal shrieking against metal. It reminded her of Magneto's machine when it had started to come apart. She pushed the memory aside quickly, and rejoined the fight. Wanda finally succeeded in taking out one of the androids when she hexed one of Rogue's discarded knives to fly at the machine, lopping its head off.

"Now that we're no longer out-numbered, the robots will be on a much higher setting," Pietro shouted when he noticed Rogue taking out the sixth to last robot with a well-thrown knife to the sensor plate. "Gambit, Avalanche, protect the girls."

Rogue made a disgruntled sound. She did not like being treated as if she were a delicate Southern Belle who needed help for the slightest thing. She was a Steel Magnolia through and through, and the sooner her male teammates realized that, the better they could all work together. Rogue turned her head slightly to glance at Wanda.

"Show these boys what you can do," Wanda said with a glint in her eye.

Although the entire Brotherhood had known for some time that she had once absorbed Magneto, Wanda was the only one who had seen Rogue use Erik's abilities, which she had begun to train with much more seriously when she had moved to the Brotherhood House. With a wicked grin at her friend, Rogue created a magnetic field bubble and levitated herself off the metal floor of the DR to hover four feet above her teammates' heads.

Still busy fighting the robots, at first the men didn't notice Rogue's absence from the fray. Having been closest to Wanda and Rogue moments before, Avalanche was the first to glance around with a frown. Rogue chose that moment to tap even further into her borrowed power and lift all five robots into the air with her, keeping them enough distance away from her that they wouldn't be able to make contact. With a startled sound from Pietro, all three of her male housemates looked up to stare at her, slack-jawed in awe. Wanda had a huge smile on her face.

Noticing that Remy had his bo in his hands, Rogue ordered, "Hold on tight, LeBeau."

Remy did as asked and found himself being flown through the air. With a flick of his red-on-black eyes, the Cajun indicated he wanted Rogue to toss him toward one of the robots. She did so, and Remy took it out with a well-placed kick to the head.

"Enough, exercise complete," Pietro finally called.

Rogue set Remy down carefully, then the robots, before lowering herself slowly to the floor.

"That was amazin' chere," Remy commented.

Avalanche nodded agreement and Pietro asked, "Have you always been able to do that much?"

Rogue, knowing his 'always' meant 'ever since you absorbed my father', shook her head, "No, but I've been working on controlling it more. I know I used to touch Mama sometimes, but I can't shapeshift no matter how much I concentrate. But Logan's senses are still with me, and he and Magneto are the ones who touched me longest, so maybe that has something to do with it."

Pietro nodded thoughtfully and the team moved around the room to pick up the robots that were unable to move for themselves. This was why Rogue liked fighting the holograms better... no clean up.

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Scott waited until Jean had led Piotr out of Xavier's office and towards the older boys' section of the dorms to speak to his mentor. Although he had been surprised when the young Russian man had shown up unannounced on their doorstep, Scott trusted Xavier's judgment in regards to letting Piotr stay with them; he just wished Xavier had pressed Piotr harder about Rogue's whereabouts. Scott knew Xavier would probably allow Jean in on their conversation, but Scott didn't like talking about Rogue in front of her. Jean had never gotten close to Rogue, and she didn't always understand why Scott cared as much as he did.

Scott was worried about Rogue. She had seemed fine on her most recent phone call about a week and a half ago, but Scott was getting sick of not being able to see for himself how she was doing. He supposed it was part and parcel of being leader of the X-Men and feeling a responsibility to all those who came under his protection. He wanted to be able to tell that Rogue's clothes were new or at least holding up well, and he hoped she had put on a little of the weight she lost living on the road before meeting up first with Logan and then with the X-Men. She had always looked good, even when she had first come to them as a scrawny, tired waif, but in Scott's opinion, she needed to fill out more to actually start looking like a young woman instead of the school-age teenager they had previously mistaken her to be.

Was Rogue eating enough? Did she have friends other than Piotr? What did she do for fun? What kind of job did she have and where was she staying? Was she keeping up her physical training so she could take care of herself if need be? Scott realized that unless Piotr was willing to open up to him, he would just have to ask Rogue these questions himself when she called again in a few weeks. Scott just hoped Rogue not coming with Piotr herself was simply because she had been nervous and because she hadn't been back in so long. He'd hate to think that she didn't feel able to come to them whenever she needed to.

"So, what do you think? Do you think Rogue is okay?"

Xavier leaned back slightly in his wheelchair and steepled his fingers as he thought about Scott's question.

"Piotr cares for Rogue a great deal," Xavier began softly. "If she were in danger, he would be afraid for her, and I do not read any concern from him in that regard. I sense absolutely no ill intent from our new guest, and through him I know Rogue bares us no ill will. However, for some reason I cannot fathom, she does not feel welcome here."

Scott frowned thoughtfully. "The cab that brought Piotr here was from a local company. Do you think she's staying close by?"

"I don't know, Scott. She told me once that the D'Ancantos were actually her foster parents, and that she wanted to find the couple before them that had taken care of her. Perhaps she was able to track them down and is now living with them somewhere near here. Maybe that is where she became acquainted with Piotr."

"Is this couple her real family or just another foster family she once stayed with?"

Xavier sighed, "Aside from what I just shared, I am not aware of any more of Rogue's past than you are, Scott. You probably know her best of any of us since you're the one she calls every month."

"I'm sure Piotr knows her much better," Scott said offhand. "Maybe he can tell me more."

"Scott, I know you're concerned for Rogue, but she asked Piotr not to share information with us. I'm not sure what it is, but there is something Rogue is afraid we will react badly to."

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"Pietro's started calling me his 'Ultimate Weapon' now," Rogue told Mystique.

She was sitting in her mother's office, distractedly floating a metal paperweight around in circles. It had been two weeks since the first team training session in the DR, and so far they had all stuck to the new schedule, with the exception of Remy missing two sessions when he was called home to Louisiana to deal with something about the New Orleans Unified Guilds.

It had also been two weeks since Piotr had gone to live at Xavier's. He and Rogue had only been able to meet once in that time since Piotr was now busy taking college correspondence courses and sitting in on some of Xavier's classes in preparation for becoming a teacher himself. When he had his degree, Piotr would become the Art and Art History professor for Xavier's school. Rogue missed him terribly, but she was proud of the fact that he was moving forward in his life instead of dwelling on the things that had gone wrong in the past.

Rogue and Mystique were having one of their regular weekly phone calls to update each other on their current activities and discuss things either one had remembered about their lives before Irene's death. In another two weeks, Mystique would be home for a month while the Senate was closed. Rogue was excited and nervous about the prospect of spending so much time with her adoptive mother.

"Is he trying to get you to join the Brotherhood officially?" Mystique asked.

"No, he just likes teasing me. He and Wanda still aren't sure about joining themselves, they'd never pressure me to do so."

"Good," Mystique replied. "Have you remembered anything new?"

This was a subject Rogue had actually been anxious to talk about, and she sat up straighter, settling the paperweight back in it's spot. "Do you remember the summer before I started high school?"

"The cruise to Alaska? Yes, it's one of the things that I recently recovered. That was a very good trip, and you felt very comfortable there because everyone was just as bundled as you and you were still getting used to it."

"When I was living with the D'Ancantos I had the strongest urge to travel to Alaska. It must have been my subconscious trying to remember that trip."

"Maybe someday when all of this is over we'll go back there," Mystique commented warmly.

There was a sudden scuffle on Mystique's end of the phone, and Rogue could hear a male and female voice talking briefly.

"I'm sorry, Congresswoman," Senator Kelly's voice came over the line a few seconds later, "we'll have to finish catching up next week, I have a meeting to get to."

"Alright," Rogue said softly. "Bye, Mama."


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Notes:** Thoughts are signified by 'these'. Emphasis and the voices in Rogue's head are in _italics_. Telepathic conversation is underlined. I apologize in advance for how OOC the character I introduce in this chapter may or may not be, I don't actually know that much about him. Since this story is already AU to a degree, let's just say he's an alternate universe version of the actual character.

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"So Mystique will be home in a week?" Piotr asked as he and Rogue strolled through the Native American art exhibit at the museum.

"Yes," Rogue answered, a smile on her face and in her voice. "She's off for a whole month, so we're going to work more on recovering our memories. We may even take a trip down to Caldecott County to where we lived with Mama Irene to see if our things are still in the house there."

"I'm glad you're happy," Piotr said softly.

He squeezed her ungloved fingers, which were laced between his as they walked. She still had a glove on the other hand, and would slip the other one on once he let go of her hand, but for now they both enjoyed the small connection. She squeezed back.

"Are _you_ happy?" she asked him.

Piotr smiled down at her. "I have my best friend in the world with me, how could I not be happy? But I know what you're asking. I am happy at Xavier's. He hasn't pushed for too much information, and he is giving me the opportunity to work with the children and still work on my art. And I am beginning to make friends there as well."

"Good."

"Piotr? _Rogue_?" Scott's voice sounded surprised but pleased as he and Jean approached them.

"Hello, Scott, Jean," Rogue said softly, trying to calm her pounding heart.

She had known it was inevitable that she would run into students or faculty from Xavier's living as close as she did, but the past months had passed without incident and she had let the worry fade from her mind. Too soon apparently. Before she had a chance to realize every detail of what her being there with Piotr entailed, Scott noticed her hand in Piotr's. Her ungloved hand in his bare one.

"You can touch?"

Scott took a step toward her and Rogue backpedaled several steps, causing Piotr to let go of her hand. She hastily crammed her fingers back into the glove that protected others from her deadly skin. The movement had been too fast and two digits ended up together in one glove finger. Nervous, Rogue simply balled her fist and shoved it into her pocket. Rogue's frantic motions got through to Scott and he stilled.

"Piotr's immune," Rogue said stiffly.

She hadn't intended to share that information, but if she hadn't they might have thought she had control. And as much as she wished that was the case, it wasn't. She thought Scott looked disappointed for a moment, but she didn't have time to dwell on it when she felt Jean trying to probe her mind.

"Stop it," she growled at the redhead. "Why would I lie about something like that? And if its something else you want to know, _ask me_ like a civilized person."

Jean blinked and Scott's mouth fell open slightly before he tried to hide a laugh by coughing.

"I'm sorry," Jean said, though she didn't sound at all remorseful.

"Mr. Summers? Miss Grey? We're ready for you," a woman in a business suit called.

"Every year we take a school field trip to a different museum," Scott explained quickly. "The group rate always takes time to hash out."

"Well, we'll let you go then," Rogue said, relieved.

Scott opened his mouth, but Jean had already begun to walk toward the museum employee.

"Come on, Scott."

"It was nice to see you, Rogue. We'll see you back at home, Piotr."

Rogue smiled slightly at Scott as he waved, feeling slightly guilty about being so abrupt with him. Bu she couldn't help the way she felt around Jean. Piotr pulled her hand out of her pocket and tugged the misaligned glove off her fingers, tucking it into his own pocket for safekeeping.

"Let's go somewhere else to eat," he said, leading her away from the scene of the awkward confrontation.

Rogue gratefully let him.

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Rogue was curled up with a book in her window seat when she heard the unmistakable sound of an approaching helicopter. Though she hadn't been expecting Mystique until the next day, Rogue excitedly jumped up from her perch and shoved her feet into a pair of shoes. She made it to the roof and the helipad there just as Mystique was stepping down from the passenger side seat. Mystique smiled and moved forward to embrace Rogue.

"I missed you, Mama," Rogue said as she carefully hugged her mother.

Not having pulled on a pair of gloves, Rogue was cautious about only putting her hands where cloth covered the other woman's blue skin.

"I missed you, too, Marie," Mystique responded in a whisper. Turning from Rogue after their hug ended, Mystique told the helicopter pilot, "Be ready to depart in half an hour."

Rogue frowned. "I thought you were going to spend your time off with me. You're leaving already?"

"No, no, of course not," Mystique quickly answered. "I just have a recon mission to go on and a limited time frame to do it in. I stopped here to see if you wanted to come with me, otherwise I would have been home tomorrow like we discussed."

"Alright, do you want me to go get the others?"

"No, just you and me this time. It's a two man mission at the most."

"I'll get changed and meet you back here then," Rogue responded, the smile back in place on her face.

Rogue hurried to the women's changing room down the hall from the DR to put on her uniform. Her boots had just come in a few days ago, and she pulled the thigh high black boots on last. Glancing in the mirror, Rogue considered pulling her hair up in a ponytail as she did during practice session but decided against it. She was still trying to figure out what to do with her gloves if she ever had to take them off in a fight. With any luck, she wouldn't have to find out today. She strapped her sheath of throwing knives around her thigh just in case. If she could be attacked by an outside force while hitching a ride with Logan in the wilderness of Canada, she could certainly run across trouble on an information-gathering mission.

"Ready?" Mystique asked when Rogue made her way back to the roof.

"For anything," Rogue responded, lightly running gloved fingers over the handles of her chosen weapons.

Mystique and Rogue shared a smile.

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The group they were going to get information on was one that Mystique had discovered in her position as Senator Kelly. The group had donated a lot to Kelly's last campaign, and from what Mystique had been able to uncover, it was a front for a darker organization. One with active anti-mutant activities that wasn't happy with Kelly's change of stance on the mutant issue. Mystique, in her guise as the Senator, had been able to find a person on the inside willing to pass 'him' information for a price.

The location and info about this building had been one of those things. There was a computer system in the building that according to the contact contained information about the real organization and its members and holdings. Mystique had been presented the opportunity and means to retrieve the information to use at a later time if the need arose, including keycards she would need to get into the building without setting off the alarms.

The facility was in a heavily wooded area, and the helicopter would land in a clearing a few miles behind the building, with Mystique and Rogue hiking in together. It being the Friday preceding Memorial Day, the building was closed for the weekend and was running on a skeleton staff of two security guards. Easy pickings for Mystique alone, and with Rogue at her side? Not even a blip on their collective radar.

Strapping a gun at her waist just in case, Mystique offered Rogue a firearm as well, but the younger woman had never trained with guns. That fact got them into a discussion of all the things Mystique could teach her and how they could make training a part of their day-to-day activities while Mystique was home.

As they drew closer to their destination, Mystique gave Rogue the building's schematics in case they got separated for some reason. Rogue studied them in silence, both Erik and the Wolverine helping her understand the blueprints and decipher them for possible emergency exits. Noting a larger room toward the middle of the compound with small portions sectioned off, Rogue asked Mystique what the room was. Mystique didn't know.

By the time the helicopter descended into a small clearing, Rogue was both nervous and excited. She was going on her first mission. She ruthlessly squashed her inner Logan when he pointed out with a sneer who she was going on the mission with. No matter what had happened since, the Logan in Rogue's head refused to forgive Mystique for her part in the events that had led up to the Statue of Liberty incident.

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The only sign that their intel was off was the fact that there were four guards instead of two. Still, they presented no problem for Rogue and Mystique. After they were knocked out, the three men and one woman were bound and gagged in case they woke before Rogue and Mystique had left. Mystique moved quickly through the facility to where the computer station she was going to access was located, Rogue following cautiously behind.

Still curious about the larger room that had caught her attention on the blueprints as she stood behind her seated, hard-at-work mother, Rogue began to wander the room they had ended up in.

"You can explore if you want to," Mystique commented as her slender fingers flew over the keyboard. "This may take a little while. Take one of the keycards and check out that large room."

"Alright," Rogue responded. "Holler if you need me."

They both knew she didn't mean aloud.

Rogue wandered down one hallway and around a corner, the mystery room her intended destination. She found it without mush trouble, frowning when she walked in to discover what looked like a lab. The smaller sections she had noted were cells. Knowing what kind of people supposedly owned the place, she couldn't help comparing this place to the shadowy images from Logan's nightmares. The lighting in here was much better, but it didn't stop thoughts of sinister acts.

She moved across the room to peer cautiously into the first cell, finding it empty, the overhead fluorescent lights still on and humming slightly. There was a bench and a toilet inside, but otherwise the empty space was bare. It wasn't a very large cell, barely four feet across and around seven feet deep. She hoped whoever had been kept in there hadn't been claustrophobic.

Rogue read the placard to the right of the empty space, finding a subject number, a 'receive' date and an execution date. Her stomach rolled when she saw that the execution date was just a week before. The next holding cell had the same receive date but an execution date from two months previous. This cell wasn't open-fronted as the first had been, a thick plexiglass wall covering the entire front section. Rogue moved on to the third cell, which also had a plexiglass closing wall. She gasped; _this_ cell was not empty.

A man, normal-looking except for the fact that his long, straight hair was snow white even though he was obviously still in his prime, was unconscious and restrained against the back wall. His feet and chest were bare; a pair of scrub-like pants his only clothing. His legs and arms, pulled slightly away from his muscular body, were held to a wall by thick leather restraints, locking cuffs located at his wrists and ankles. His head hung down, his chin resting on his chest, his hair falling loosely to hide his face. Above his head was a sign that read, 'Subject must be sedated when not wearing control collar.'

Assured that he was still alive by the slow but steady movements of his chest, Rogue glanced to the placard outside his cell and swallowed hard when she saw a 'scheduled for termination' notice with a date only a few days off. She couldn't leave an innocent mutant to die, but should she go and get Mystique first? Deciding she didn't want to know how Mystique would react to unexpectedly helping a stranger, Rogue took the initiative and pulled the lever to open the sliding plexiglass wall.

She slipped through while it was still opening, moving closer to the bound man. When she was in front of him, she was finally able to look at his downcast face, feeling revulsion sweep through her at the sight of a ball gag in his mouth. Rogue quickly did a visual check of the man, noting no other signs of abuse besides the restraints and gag. But it was always possible that whatever they had done to him was now long gone, especially if he had a healing factor as both Wolverine and Sabretooth had, and which Mystique could employ to an extent when she changed forms.

The captive was an attractive man with a nice build and a classic profile. But now was not the time to think about things like that.

_He looks familiar..._ the Erik in her head trailed off.

'Unless he's some mass murdering mutant I've never heard of,' Rogue thought to Erik, 'right now it doesn't matter who he is. I have other things to worry about.'

_Yes,_ Erik drawled. _How does the self-appointed one-woman rescue mission plan to get her rescuee out of here when he isn't awake?_

Rogue snorted lightly, 'Way to point out the obvious, Lensherr.'

If he were still sedated when she undid his restraints, the captive mutant would fall to the floor and possibly injure himself. And if healing weren't part of his mutation, Rogue would have gone through the trouble for nothing. There was no way she could carry him out on her own. He was a good six inches taller than her, and had to outweigh her by at least sixty pounds of pure muscle.

Sighing, Rogue decided the only way she could do this without taking so long that Mystique would worry would be to use another of her borrowed powers. She moved closer still and placed her gloved hands on either side of his head, hoping the gentle touch would calm him if he was even slightly aware.

Can you hear me? She asked, trying to keep her mind's voice gentle and reassuring.

It was several long moments… that felt like minutes to Rogue in her anxious state… before she got an answer.

Another telepath? You shouldn't use your abilities; they monitor our brain waves. They executed Charlie because they couldn't fully control her. The captive's astral voice had a slight British accent and was deep and warm.

I'm not a prisoner, Rogue answered, I'm here to... well, I thought I'd get you out since I _am_ here. But I need you to be awake when I unbind you. There's a sign that says you are to be kept sedated unless you have a collar on. How do they wake you up?

There's a small cabinet to the left of the cell they keep me in; there are always extra syringes of both the sedative and the stimulant inside.

Though he had given her the information she needed, Rogue could feel that he doubted she was really going to help him. No wanting to waste valuable time convincing him psychically when she was about do to so physically, Rogue moved to the cabinet he had described and studied the syringes. Luckily they were well labeled and easy to tell apart.

Rogue was as gentle as she could be as she injected him with the stimulant, hoping it wouldn't take too long for it to take effect. Without fully realizing she had even started, Rogue counted to ninety-three before the man she was trying to rescue showed any signs of waking. He moaned quietly and his eyelashes fluttered, Rogue half-noticing that they were long and, unlike the hair on his head, black. Thirty seconds later, he lifted his head and opened his eyes, focusing immediately on her. There was a sharpness in his light blue eyes as he studied her.

Evidently, he didn't find her a threat, because he relaxed slightly and sighed around the gag with what Rogue was pretty sure was relief. Somehow not trusting herself to speak yet and not wanting to make him feel awkward when he couldn't answer back aloud, Rogue again communicated directly with his mind.

Will you be all right if I undo your restraints now?

I think so, he answered. They only give me a couple minutes to wake up before they force me to move.

Rogue began undoing the straps on his arms first, disabling the locks with Erik's talent. His right leg was next to be freed, and she allowed him to lean heavily on her for a moment as his balance was thrown off waiting to be able to stand on his left leg as well.

'Need to sit for a minute...' Rogue picked up the snippet of thought as the white-haired man sank down, his back against the wall.

She kneeled beside him and gently moved his hair, much softer than it looked, to the side so she could unbuckle the ball gag. As soon as the offending contraption was undone, she tossed it away.

Better now?

Instead of answering her telepathically, the man's eyes opened and focused again on her. He smiled weakly.

"I thought angels wore gowns," he said hoarsely, his voice slightly deeper in reality than it had been in her head.

Rogue smiled, "I'm no angel, sugar."

The corners of his generous mouth curved upward slightly again. "You're _my_ angel if you can really get me out of here. And my name is Joseph Magnus."

"It's nice to meet you, Joseph. I'm Rogue. Now what do you say we blow this pop stand?"

His eyebrows, white like his hair, rose at the phrase, but he nodded and stood with her help. Joseph seemed to be growing steadily stronger and moved into the main part of the lab without assistance. He slowly glanced around the room, his face grim. He flinched when his eyes settled for a moment on an examining table.

"Whatever they did to you, I'm sorry," Rogue murmured, knowing it was inadequate.

Joseph simply nodded slowly in response. His eyes fell last on an impressive looking computer system. His visage darkened considerably and he moved toward it. Rogue followed.

"I know you want justice or revenge, either way I don't blame you, but Mama's gonna be worried if I don't check back in with her very soon."

"Mama? So you're a mother-daughter crime fighting team?" When Rogue opened her mouth to answer, Joseph raised a hand to show he didn't really need to know at the moment. "This will only take a few seconds."

Rogue watched as Joseph opened a hidden drawer and took out a case that held data CDs. He picked up a lab coat with deep pockets from a nearby chair and slipped it on, dropping the data disks into one of the pockets. Joseph looked odd with his bare feet and chest showing beneath the pants and the open coat, but Rogue didn't have anything to give him to wear. She noticed him glaring at the computer system.

"Stand back," she said softly.

Joseph frowned but moved to stand behind her. Rogue concentrated once more on Magneto's abilities, the Erik in her head more than happy to help her destroy information that had to do with the torture of mutants. All of the computer components crumpled in on themselves, a few giving off brief showers of electrical sparks.

"A telepath _and_ a magnetically gifted individual?" Joseph commented. "Are you sure you weren't a captive here?"

"I'm sure," Rogue answered as she began to lead the way out of the room and toward Mystique. She waved the fingers of one gloved hand. "I absorb the memories, life force and abilities of others through skin to skin contact. I've touched a very powerful telepath and the master of magnetism, among others… usually not by choice."

"You can't control it?" he asked, his voice gentled.

Rogue shook her head. "Why would you think I was a captive just because I used more than one power?"

Joseph sighed heavily, a frown marring his features. "The people running this place are conducting genetic experiments, trying to make a super-mutant they can control by doing gene therapy on us using the DNA of each of the other two captives. There was a fourth mutant in the beginning who they only used to collect us; his ability was dimensional travel."

"You're from another dimension?" Rogue asked in surprise.

Joseph nodded. "I know it's hard to believe, for a long time _I _wouldn't accept it, and it actually _happened _to me."

"I've seen a lot in the past couple years that I never would have believed was possible if I hadn't been there," Rogue replied simply.

"The other two mutants were from my dimension as well, although I hadn't known them there. I already mentioned Charlie, the telepath. She was exceptionally gifted and no matter what they did they couldn't completely control her, so they killed her two months ago. The other one's name was Adam, and he had healing and agility gifts. He went crazy after the telepathy gene treatment made him hear everyone's thoughts all the time. He couldn't control it. They killed him a few days ago."

"Did the treatments work on you?"

"Only to a certain degree," Joseph answered. "I'm more open to telepathy than I used to be and I can communicate easily with other telepaths, but I'm not a telepath on my own. I haven't been allowed to test the agility, but the healing does work, slower in me than it was in Adam. But my natural mutation made them nervous enough to want to start over with someone else as the subject."

"What _is_ your primary mutation?"

They had reached the door to the room Rogue had left Mystique in, and Rogue stepped into the room before Joseph could answer. All concerns but the one now playing out in front of her vanished. A blonde woman was holding her adoptive mother a few feet off the floor, slowly choking the life out of Mystique. The blue shapeshifter was changing forms rapidly, trying to escape her attacker's hold, but it wasn't working.

"Let go of my Mama!" shrieked Rogue as she launched herself at the stranger.

Rogue was surprised when the woman swatted her away as if she weighed nothing, but because of her training Rogue was able to control her fall and minimize her own injuries. She got up again quickly, realizing that the other woman was also a mutant, evidently one with super strength.

'Two can play at that game,' Rogue thought as she peeled her gloves off.

_Be careful, my dear,_ Erik cautioned her as she approached the blonde a second time.

Luckily, Joseph trying to help Mystique distracted the woman long enough for Rogue to be able to come up behind her. Mentally bracing herself for the assault of yet another mind inside her own, Rogue clamped her hands to the blonde's exposed neck.

Both women screamed at once, the blonde… Carol Danvers, her memories soon told Rogue… letting go of Mystique. Rogue tried desperately to pull her hands away from Carol's skin, the normal pulling sensation amplified somehow, but Carol grasped Rogue's hands in her own. Rogue couldn't let go. Power and the tingle Rogue knew was the other woman's life force coursed into her with alarming speed.

Rogue tried to scream again, but everything outside of her own head had gone quiet. She tried to call on Erik to help her, but he didn't answer. In a panic, Rogue tried to call forth _any_ of the other personalities she had ever absorbed, but none of them responded. Even her own thoughts were growing dim. Carol's fear and anger were quickly drowning out everything else. If something didn't happen soon to separate their skin to skin contact, Carol would be the only thing left. There would be no more Rogue.

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Joseph stared in horror at the two women who appeared to be locked together through a simple touch. The full implications of what Rogue had told him about her power struck him like a blow to the gut. No one should have to live with that kind of handicap. And from the minutes that he had known her, Joseph was sure that Rogue was the type of person who would place all the necessary restrictions on herself instead of forcing other people to do so.

The blue-skinned shape shifter that Joseph knew only as Rogue's 'Mama' tried to pull Rogue away from the blonde woman, but she couldn't budge either of the other two women. Joseph moved closer to try to help.

"Don't touch her skin!"

The warning had an edge to it that proved she was very close to becoming hysterical.

"She told me," he said softly.

Joseph was trying to keep himself calm so at least one person in the situation was. It was a losing battle. He had felt a rush of warmth and life when Rogue had first contacted him telepathically, and at first he had thought it was simply because he suddenly had hope again. But when he had opened his eyes and seen her beauty and the compassion in her dark green eyes, he had acknowledged that it was much more than that. Joseph refused to lose her before he could see what the connection between them could lead to.

He briefly thought about giving the blonde an aneurysm, but he had no idea what it would do to Rogue while the two women were connected. Instead, he pulled a metal folding chair to him from across the room, and lifting it, brought it down hard across the back of the blonde's head. The blue-skinned redhead looked shocked at the suddenness of the move, but Joseph wasn't concerned with what she thought at the moment.

The blonde fell away from Rogue, and both women slumped to the ground. Rogue's mother fell to her knees beside the platinum and auburn haired woman and carefully pulled her daughter into a sitting position. Rogue made a hurt noise and pulled away, staring at her hands.

Joseph frowned. Something was still wrong. He could no longer feel the same warmth emanating from Rogue. When she lifted her head and glared at him, he understood. The blue eyes staring holes into him didn't belong to Rogue.

"What have you done to me?" a voice totally devoid of a Southern accent demanded.

Rogue's mother made a strangled noise and the stranger in Rogue's body struck out at her, sending the shape shifter flying into the opposite wall. Joseph waited until the new personality made Rogue's body stand and move toward him before he erected a magnetic force field appear around her. The woman shrieked in frustration when she realized she was trapped.

"I'm sorry, my angel," Joseph murmured, not even sure Rogue could hear him.

The woman frowned deeper at him before her eyes suddenly rolled back in her head and she slumped to the floor, unconscious.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Notes:** Thoughts are signified by 'these'. Emphasis and the voices in Rogue's head are in _italics_. Telepathic conversation is underlined.

**Warning:** Images of violence in this chapter.

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"Who are you?" Mystique asked as the white haired man who had just helped her and Rogue moved toward Rogue's unconscious form.

Mystique pulled herself up from the base of the wall where she had landed in a heap and made her way slowly toward them, not sure why Rogue had suddenly collapsed or whether it was just a trick of the personality that had taken up residence in her adopted daughter's body.

"Joseph Magnus," he answered, kneeling down and straightening Rogue's limbs out from the way she had slumped onto the floor. "Former prisoner of this establishment. And you are?"

Mystique hesitated. He and Rogue had walked in together, and there seemed to be something familiar about the man, but his very presence here made her more than a bit nervous. This could be some kind of trap. Perhaps by the group that ran the organization they had come to gather intel on. Or maybe he was actually working with her blonde attacker in an attempt to infiltrate the Brotherhood.

He looked up at her from his place on the floor and frowned for a moment, obviously still waiting for her answer.

Then his shapely lips twitched slightly and he remarked, "Unless I should call you 'Mama' as well?"

Mystique almost smiled in return before she remembered where they were and what had just happened.

"My name is Mystique," she answered as she moved closer to them.

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Joseph nodded as he lifted Rogue carefully in his arms, making sure her face rested against the white lab coat he was wearing and not against the skin that showed beneath. First on the agenda, make sure his angel was okay, and then find some clothes. Unfortunately, he had a strong feeling his first task would take some doing. Realizing there was a possibility that he could be more worried than he needed to be, Joseph again glanced at Mystique.

"She told me that she's touched others, by her own choice and not. Is this a normal thing, the new personality taking temporary control?"

His hope was dashed when Mystique immediately shook her head.

"No, this… it's never happened before. Not like this. She has voices in her head from the people she's absorbed, sometimes their preferences for things influence her actions and they often give her nightmares and argue with her, causing headaches, but no one has ever taken over before."

Joseph's eyes moved to the knocked out blonde on the floor, so close to where Rogue had been. His thoughts on what they should do about her were conflicted. He had no idea who she was or why she had attacked Mystique. It was conceivable that she was a mutant that the people who had been holding him had under their control, but with her strength, what would they have needed him and the others for? No, that couldn't be it, Joseph knew they were only interested in having one super soldier, not an army that would be that much harder to control. So why had she attacked? Joseph didn't know anything about Mystique, but he knew in his soul that Rogue was a good person, so how could her mother be that much different?

If they left the blonde here, the scientists would have a new, much stronger lab rat. If he or Mystique killed her before they left, they'd never find out what she had been doing there, and her genetics would still be available for his former captors to use. And what if her presence could help Rogue fight the personality that was in control of her body? They had to take her with them. But how would they convince her not to crush them all when she eventually woke? Joseph cringed at the thought that came to him, but he acknowledged that it was the only option that made sense.

Nearly back to full strength from the prolonged period of being awake without his control collar in place, Joseph concentrated. He manipulated the chair he had hit the woman with so that the metal twisted and flattened until it was a crude but functional stretcher.

"Put her on it," he told Mystique, motioning with his head toward the fallen woman.

"Why?" she asked, anger contorting her face, as she looked at the woman responsible for their current situation.

"We may need her to get my an… uh, to get Rogue back."

Mystique's yellow eyes widened at Joseph's words, and she immediately moved to comply. When she had lifted and settled the woman, Joseph concentrated once more and made the metal stretcher hover behind him as he led the way out of the room they were in and back toward the lab he had only just recently left.

Mystique looked confused when they entered the lab, but she had obviously decided to at least trust him temporarily, because she followed all of his instructions as he told her to gather up two of the control collars and several injections of both sedative and stimulant. Then it was her turn to lead the way as Joseph had no idea how to get out of the building or where to go from there.

When they reached the outside of the structure, Joseph talked Mystique out of calling her helicopter closer as the lab was under restricted airspace and they didn't have the time or manpower to deal with yet another problem. Though both of them doubted that the blonde woman would wake anytime soon… she _had_ been hit by a combination of a blow to the head and the effects of prolonged contact with Rogue's skin… Mystique kept a careful eye on the levitating stretcher as they hiked out to the waiting helicopter. Joseph kept part of his awareness strongly attuned to Rogue, knowing that in her current mental state and with her newly acquired strength she was just as much of a threat to them, if not more.

Neither figure had to be sedated during the journey to the conveyance, nor as they were being carefully strapped in, but when Rogue stirred slightly on the flight to what Mystique referred to as the Brotherhood House, Joseph immediately injected her with the sedative. When her blue eyes fluttered before closing again, he knew he had made the right decision. He glanced at Mystique and saw that she, too, had seen that her daughter still had the wrong eye color.

"If you don't mind my saying so, she doesn't look like you at all," Joseph observed just for something to say.

Mystique's lips twisted wryly, "I adopted her when she was twelve, when her mutation first manifested."

Joseph nodded, and thinking that keeping both of their minds temporarily distracted might help them better cope with their situation once they had landed, he struck up a conversation, asking about the Brotherhood House and then about Magneto and the other members of the Brotherhood when their names came up. He learned a lot of bare facts about the people Rogue considered her friends and the one who was her greatest enemy, but he knew from the way she spoke that Mystique was keeping most of the important details to herself. Not that he could blame her. He'd do the same in her place.

But what he really wanted to know, every hope and dream and experience that made Rogue who she was, what she liked, what she hated, her fears and greatest memories, was not something he could ask about. At least not until Rogue was herself again and chose whether or not to trust him with her confidences. Then he would ask _her_. If Mystique allowed him to stick around that long.

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When the pilot announced that they were five minutes out from the House, Mystique cut her conversation with Joseph short. She placed a call to the House, where Remy answered. Mystique quickly and succinctly apprised him of the situation and extracted his promise to immediately tell the others and to meet them on the roof with two stretchers from the medical room in the basement. The Cajun even momentarily dropped his habit of referring to himself in the third person when he realized the seriousness of what had occurred.

Mystique turned to study Joseph, who was once again checking on Rogue. He was a handsome man, probably in his mid to late twenties despite the white hair. He was too young for her, even if he hadn't been so immediately and obviously taken with Rogue. So what was it about him that felt so familiar? What was it that made her follow his instructions without much hesitation? Did he have some kind of charm mutation like Remy?

Mystique didn't think that was the case. She hadn't felt charmed, just oddly… inspired. Perhaps it was just the fact that he was confident and obviously powerful, and the situation they had found themselves in had made her latch on to anything that seemed stable.

Whatever the cause, his attempts at distracting her away from hysteria had worked. Mystique knew it was important that she keep as level a head as possible, especially when all four of their housemates were waiting on the roof with anxious expressions. Rogue might not be a part of the Brotherhood, but Avalanche, Remy, Wanda and Pietro all considered her their teammate and friend. And Mystique knew if Piotr were still at the House, he would have been the most worried of the group. Her adopted daughter and the Russian had become the closest of friends.

Though they immediately moved to help when the helicopter had landed and Mystique and Joseph began unloading their two "patients", all three of the young men of the House frowned at the stranger in their midst. Wanda was too busy wiping tears from her face while speaking quietly to Rogue's still form to truly notice him. Mystique knew further explanations would have to wait until later, but some sort of introduction was necessary for them to get through the next few hours. She mentally crossed her fingers at the amount of time that she hoped it would take to get Rogue back.

"Everyone, this is Joseph, he was a captive of the humans and he helped us. Joseph, this is Avalanche, Pietro, Remy and Wanda," she said, pointing quickly to each in turn. "Now let's get Rogue and the other one down to the medical room."

Each gurney now held an unconscious figure, so they were wheeled to the elevator that led straight from the roof to the House's lower levels. Only Mystique and Magneto could access the elevator, and it was only meant for emergencies. As Mystique glanced once more at Rogue, she knew without a doubt that this qualified.

The ride down was quiet for only a few moments before Pietro asked, "What can we do to help her?"

With a pang of shame and guilt, Mystique admitted quietly, "I don't know."

"Is there a place we can keep both of them where they could see each other but not be able to touch?" Joseph asked suddenly.

Pietro started to shake his head, but Avalanche spoke up, "It would not be difficult to create a holographic program with cells facing each other. And the illusion can be reinforced with the containment shields that are supposed to be for emergency use in case the bots become unstable."

The elevator doors opened and Mystique motioned the others forward. "We'll take them both to the D.R. then."

Mystique felt her heart clench when the others nodded and followed her instructions. Rogue had affected their lives more than Mystique had realized. They even knew without asking that what they had always called the Danger Room had been re-christened by Rogue because of Xavier's training room having the same name. Did this mean that they had accepted the change as easily as she first had when she brought Rogue to the house? And if Rogue truly did mean that much to them, what would it mean when Magneto was back? For him, for her, for them, for the Brotherhood and for her adopted daughter?

Her gaze turned once more to Joseph. It was obvious to her from his actions and the way he watched Rogue where his loyalty would lie if he stuck around and it ever came down to a choice. The fact that his ability was so close to Magneto's would cause problems, as well. Magneto relished being the strongest, the undisputed leader. But Mystique couldn't worry about any of that at the moment. They had to find a way to get Rogue back, or all of her concerns would be superficial at best.

Motivated by the desperation of the situation, Avalanche and Pietro very quickly set up a scenario that matched Joseph's vague specifications. Each stretcher was wheeled into it's own 'cell' complete with a clear front. The two cells faced each other and were reinforced by shields that Pietro would raise and drop at Mystique's command. Only Mystique and Joseph stayed in the DR with the two 'patients' in case something went wrong, Mystique because she wouldn't leave Rogue and Joseph because he was the one who had an idea of what to do. Wanda and Remy had brought some basic first aid supplies as well as two pairs of gloves before joining Pietro and Avalanche in the observation room.

Joseph slipped on a pair of gloves and checked Rogue's unconscious form for injuries. Mystique watched him, both of them noting that though she would undoubtedly be very bruised and sore from the fact that the blonde had swatted her halfway across the room, Rogue did not appear to have any broken bones or bleeding injuries. When he had finished checking her, he placed both gloved hands on either side of her head, closing his eyes in seeming concentration. Mystique shrugged at his latest action. Maybe he was praying for her or something.

When Joseph appeared to be done, Mystique asked, "Did you want the stimulant now?"

"No, not yet," Joseph shook his head. "I need to speak to your attacker before I attempt to reason with her personality." He paused and sighed before saying softly, "I need one of the control collars."

Mystique balked at the idea of doing something like that to Rogue, "No, you're not going to put one of those things on her."

Joseph turned fully to stare her down for a minute before calmly saying, "I don't want to restrict Rogue anymore than you do, especially with one of those… _things_. But if she wakes up, there is no way we can control her. If she escapes before Rogue is back in control, you _will_ lose her forever."

Forced to concede that Joseph had a very good point, Mystique reluctantly handed him one of the collars. She again noticed the gentle way this stranger handled her daughter, his touch a mix of reluctant and reverent as he slid the device into place around Rogue's pale throat.

When he once again put his hands on Rogue's head and closed his eyes when the collar was in place, Mystique asked, "What are you doing?"

"Making sure I could still sense her," Joseph answered as he stood up straight, tucking a section of hair behind his ear. "She's faint, the other personality is rather strong, but Rogue is still there."

Mystique frowned. "You're a telepath?"

Joseph shook his head as he headed toward the blonde woman, Mystique signaling the shield around Rogue to be activated as she followed.

"No, not exactly. But I do have much better reception than other non-telepaths, especially when near an actual telepath."

Puzzled, Mystique mentally filed the information away for later.

"Collar," Joseph prompted when he reached the gurney holding the blonde woman.

Mystique handed him the second of the two devices, not objecting one bit to using it on this woman. His movements, this time, were quick and efficient. A few moments later she passed him one of the syringes of stimulant. When there was no sign of waking from their 'guest' five minutes later, a second dose was used.

"Do you work for Dr. Slaken?" Joseph asked the moment the blonde woke up.

She sneered at the name and spat, "Of course not!"

"Then why did you attack me?" Mystique demanded.

"Because you _do_ work for those bastards," the woman answered as she scrambled off the bed on the opposite side from Joseph and Mystique. She stood oddly for a moment, her muscles straining as if she was going to take off. "What have you done to me? You took my powers!"

"Do I _look_ like I would work for an anti-mutant group?" Mystique snapped, ignoring the blonde's other accusations. "I was there with stolen ID and passwords to get information on the group. And because of your jumping to conclusions, my daughter is hurt."

The other woman glanced across at Rogue and flinched.

"How was I supposed to know why you were there?" she mumbled. "I'm sorry about her, but she _did_ attack me."

Mystique opened her mouth to yell at the woman again, but Joseph held up a hand to request silence. Fuming, Mystique closed her mouth and crossed her arms, glaring at the blonde woman.

"Now you know why Mystique was there. My name is Joseph and I was a prisoner of the lab," at this the blonde looked at him with interest, "until Rogue, Mystique's daughter, freed me. I'm trying to return the favor, but I need your help to do that."

"Carol Danvers," their sullen prisoner introduced herself. "What exactly would I have to do?"

"I just need to know why you were there," Joseph answered.

"That's it?"

"Hopefully," Joseph replied honestly.

"And then you'll let me go?" Carol pried at the collar with both hands. "You'll take this thing off of me?"

Joseph shrugged expressively, "That's not up to me. But if the information helps me help Rogue, I'm sure Mystique would be a bit less eager to exact revenge."

Carol looked at her, and Mystique nodded once, reluctantly.

Sitting back down on the gurney, Carol sighed before relating, "I had a younger sister who was kidnapped by a group like Slaken's a few years ago. They ran tests on her because they knew I was a mutant and thought she would be too, and they couldn't capture me. When they couldn't find anything through more conventional methods, they killed her and dissected her body. Since then any time I hear a rumor of a lab that holds mutants, I go in and help anyone being held against their will to escape. When I saw Mystique act as if she worked there, against her own kind, I jumped to the wrong conclusion. I've run in to mutants who hate what they are so much that they do work with the humans, and I thought that was the case here."

Mystique felt her anger surge again, but Joseph was nodding, so she buried the feeling.

"You have more than just super strength, don't you?" Joseph asked Carol.

She nodded. "I can also fly and am invulnerable to projectiles and a certain amount of concussive force."

Mystique blinked at the thought that Rogue might now be bulletproof. She knew her adoptive daughter could already levitate the same way Magneto could, but Mystique had a feeling straight flying would mean a lot more to Rogue. If they got her back, this attack could have been a blessing in disguise. Even if Mystique couldn't manage to dissuade Magneto from trying to use or harm Rogue once he got out of jail, Rogue would now be more than capable of holding her own against him.

"Stay here," Joseph instructed Carol, who nodded in response.

When the white-haired young man walked toward Rogue, Mystique had Pietro lower and raise the shield around it as they moved from the inside of the holographic room toward the other.

Joseph was watching Rogue's prone form with intense concentration, but he stopped and waited when he was about four feet away from her, still outside the shield.

"Do you need another dose of the stimulant?" Mystique asked when he didn't move.

"She's already awake," he answered dryly.

Blue eyes opened and Rogue's face scowled at him. Much like the real Carol had done, the imposter in Rogue's body slipped from the stretcher onto her feet and tried to push off the floor. When she failed to fly, she stared at her hands in confusion. She ran her hands over Rogue's body, frowning at each obvious difference in terrain. Her eyes narrowed almost to slits when her hands reached the control collar. She turned toward Joseph, probably due to the simple fact that he was standing closer to her.

"I don't know what you did to me, but you can't keep me here," a voice that lacked the Southern drawl it should have had said. "What do I have to tell you to make you let me go? My name is Carol Danvers and…"

"That," Joseph interrupted calmly, pointing across to the silent but watching blonde, "is Carol Danvers. You're just an echo, a copy of her personality that was too strong for Rogue to deal with on top of the physical damage Carol had already done."

"What's your point?" she asked angrily, Rogue's features twisted with the fear of the currently dominant personality. "I didn't ask for this, and I shouldn't have to suffer for it."

"Even if you don't let Rogue have her body back, you'll never have anything of your own. Her family would never let you just leave while they still had even the slightest hope of getting her back. And even ignoring that, you would have nowhere to go, nothing to call your own. Carol Danvers' life belongs to the real Carol Danvers, and no one in their right mind would believe that you were her."

The blue eyes that clashed with Rogue's auburn and white hair glared at him. "You can't keep me here forever. And maybe it's time for a change. With the combination of her powers and mine, I could go anywhere, do anything. I could do so much."

Joseph's mouth firmed and his next words were deceptively calm, "Look, we know you were only there to help, that you hate the idea of any mutant being locked up unfairly. But that's exactly what you're doing to Rogue. You're making _her_ a prisoner in her own mind."

The woman who was not who she appeared snapped her head back as if in shock. She was silent for a few minutes before Joseph spoke again, his voice now soft and coaxing.

"Do the right thing, just let go. Please."

"I can't… I don't…"

Carol-in-Rogue's hands flew to clutch at her head as if in horrible pain. A scream that somehow sounded more like Rogue than Carol ripped from her throat and she fell to her knees. Moments later she slipped completely to the floor. Mystique glanced at Joseph when he made a gasping noise. The white haired man signaled for Pietro to drop the containment shield around Rogue's body.

Pietro looked to Mystique for confirmation, and after a momentary hesitation, Mystique nodded. Joseph immediately moved close to her adopted daughter and fell to his knees. Mystique considered having Pietro raise the shield around both of them to be on the safe side, until Rogue's voice was heard.

"Mama?"

Mystique looked down into dark green eyes. She released a heavy sigh of relief and joined Joseph on the floor, carefully helping Rogue sit up before she hugged her daughter.

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Joseph smiled softly at Rogue when she looked at him over her adoptive mother's shoulder. Though the gesture was as tired as the young woman herself appeared, Rogue's answering smile was warm.

"Thank you, Joseph," Rogue said, reaching out one gloved hand to lay it gently on his shoulder. "As soon as you made her doubt what she was doing to me, I was able to break through."

Mystique pulled away from Rogue slightly and turned her head to look at him as well, "Yes, thank you. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been there today. Anything you need, anything you want, all you have to do is ask."

"You don't owe me anything," Joseph answered. "If it hadn't been for Rogue, I would still be trapped and scheduled for execution." He looked down at his odd outfit with a rueful expression. "But I would appreciate some clothes and a place to stay until I can get back on my feet."

"It's de least we can do, homme," Remy replied as the others joined them on the floor of the DR. "You can have de room next to Remy's."

Joseph frowned. "I thought _you_ were Remy?"

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Rogue laughed along with the others at Joseph's confusion, all except Remy, who crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at them.

"Rem has a problem with the word 'I' so anytime he refers to Remy or Gambit, he means himself," Rogue told Joseph.

The newest addition to the house's white eyebrows flew upwards but he nodded in understanding. The turning of her head had brought to her attention the fact that she had something around her neck that wasn't there before the incident with her mother's blonde attacker. The fingers of Rogue's right hand moved to the collar-like device around her neck.

She had to let go of it when Mystique helped her stand. Even with the shape shifter partially supporting her, Rogue's body screamed in protest at having to move into that position. Rogue remembered Carol swatting her away on her first impulsive approach and flinched. Her whole body felt bruised despite the fact that she had been able to minimize the damage of her fall.

Why hadn't Logan's healing kicked in and repaired the damage to her body? Thinking about Logan made her realize that in the moments since she had regained control, she had not heard from any of the people in her head. Something was still wrong… it was the collar. This must be what the sign above Joseph's head in the lab had meant by control collar. Did this mean all of her powers were suppressed, including her skin?

Still leaning against her mother, Rogue moved an ungloved hand… she wondered momentarily if they were still back in the room where she had pried Carol off her mother where she had dropped them… to lightly skim her mother's exposed skin with a fingertip. Other than Mystique's skin twitching slightly at the sudden contact, nothing happened. Rogue wrapped her fingers around her mother's arm.

"Rogue!" Mystique said, startled.

But it was Joseph's worried tone that broke through the increasing fog of pain to reach Rogue, "Angel, I think you need to take the control collar off now."

"What are you talking about?" demanded Wanda. "Not everyone wants to have their powers. This could be a blessing to Rogue."

"It's okay, Wanda," Rogue murmured. "He obviously knows something we don't, and I don't feel very…"

Rogue started to collapse, only Pietro's quick reflexes as he moved forward and caught her in his arms stopping her from getting up close and personal with the floor.

"Thanks, Speedy," she whispered shakily. Rogue could feel them all staring at her in concern, but she didn't have the energy to open her eyes. "Joseph, what's wrong with me?"

She felt the warmth of his body when he came close to her and Pietro, his gloved hands going to the collar's control panel.

"The collars don't just suppress mutant powers," Joseph explained calmly as he worked to get the device off of her neck. "They also drain the energy of the mutant wearing them, especially when the mutant tries to use their abilities. It's worse for you, my angel, because…"

"My skin is always on," Rogue finished for him, her eyes opening once again as the device left her.

Joseph nodded as he stepped back.

He had just gotten the collar off of her, and already there was a difference. Rogue's skin tingled for a few moments, and the odd but warm sensation Rogue recognized as her borrowed healing factor kicked in. The voices in her head were back, Erik and Logan both concerned about her. The new presence of Carol was silent but sullen.

Rogue disentangled herself from Pietro, careful not to touch her friend skin to skin. Carol's invulnerability merged with Logan's healing to speed it along, and she was soon feeling much better. Accessing Carol's memories, Rogue pushed off the floor and flew quickly around the room. It was easier and faster than levitating using Erik's skills, and the others looked up and watched her in wonder.

When she landed, Rogue faced Carol. The blonde was frowning slightly at her.

"I'm sure neither of us wants to see the other ever again, but I know this whole thing was a big misunderstanding," Rogue said calmly. "I have your powers now, and to be honest I have several others, so I'm more than an even match for you if you try anything. If we let you go, will you stay away from us?"

Carol looked down for a moment as if considering, but she nodded almost immediately.

"Pietro, could you go drop the shield around Carol please? And go ahead and shut down the program."

Pietro nodded and took off at top speed for the control room.

Rogue glanced at Mystique, noting that her adoptive mother's look meant 'We need to talk' and turned back to Carol one more time, "Give us a minute."

We can't just let her go, Mystique thought with a bit of anger when she and Rogue had moved a few feet away.

Mama, Rogue communicated lightly. I'm okay now. Better than okay. And with how long I held on, even without the collar I don't think Carol will be able to use her abilities anytime soon. We can't just keep her prisoner here, and I don't want you to kill her. I would feel like it was my fault.

"It wouldn't be," Mystique answered aloud.

"It would still feel like it." Rogue tried a different tact, "I'm asking as a favor to me."

She didn't say that it was partially in return for Mystique's role in what had happened to her on the Statue of Liberty, but it was what she was implying. Mystique grimaced, but nodded with a sigh.

"Fine. But I want her taken out of here blindfolded. She already knows too much."

Neither one of them said anything about Rogue taking Carol to Xavier's, but they both knew that was the only real option she had.

"Come on," Avalanche was saying to Joseph. "You can borrow some of my clothes until you can get your own. We're about the same size."

Joseph turned to look at her as he followed the slightly younger man out of the DR. Rogue smiled, thanking him once more without words for his part in her regaining control of herself. He smiled back before disappearing through the doorway.

'The release code for Carol's collar should be 43769,' he sent back to her.

"I'm going with you," Mystique said suddenly.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Rogue asked.

"I won't go onto the school's grounds, but I'm not letting you go all the way there alone with her."

Recognizing that it would be easier just to give in, Rogue nodded and moved to Carol's side, removing the control collar from the blonde's neck.

Carol stood and touched her neck briefly before saying, "I feel the same as I did with the collar on."

Rogue suggested, "Try flying."

The blonde woman who sometimes referred to herself as Ms. Marvel tried and failed to fly.

"What's going on?" she asked, her voice showing her panic.

"It's because of how long we touched," Rogue said, keeping her voice level in an effort to help calm the other woman. "The last time I touched anyone near that long, it took a week for his ability to come back, but it did come back. Just give it some time."

Looking only slightly mollified, Carol nodded.

While Mystique blindfolded the blonde and led her to the garage, Rogue ran to her room to change quickly into normal clothes from her uniform. She slipped on a pair of gloves and grabbed an envelope that had been tucked into a drawer in her dresser. Might as well kill two birds with one stone.

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The drive to Xavier's school was completed in silence. When Mystique had parked across the street from the main gate, Rogue untied the blindfold from Carol's head.

"I'll be back in a bit," she told her adoptive mother. "I'm gonna explain what happened to Xavier and pay him back for the money he lent me when I left."

Mystique nodded her understanding. Carol followed Rogue out of the vehicle and up the long drive to the front door of the mansion. A student Rogue had never met answered the door and led the two women to the Professor's office. Xavier didn't look surprised to see them, and Rogue wondered briefly if her mind block had disappeared or worn off.

Rogue and Carol each told him their side of what had happened at the lab, and Xavier agreed to shelter Carol until her mutation came back or however long she decided to stay. When the other woman had been lead from the room by the same student who had answered the door, Xavier's full attention turned to Rogue.

Needing to do something other than sit silently, Rogue pulled the envelope from her jacket pocket and set it on his desk. Almost all of her savings from New York was in that envelope, but since she had moved into the House, she hadn't had to pay for anything. And Rogue felt that it was past time she returned what the Professor had lent her.

"It's all there, plus a little extra for interest," Rogue said calmly.

"Is it Brotherhood money?" Xavier asked.

Rogue frowned. "Of course not. It's almost everything I had saved from my earnings when I was living in New York. I'm not a member of the Brotherhood. I don't understand why you can't see that if you knew we were coming."

"I pulled it from Miss Danvers' head, not yours, Rogue. You're still able to block me."

"Oh," Rogue responded. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. It's been a long day."

"I understand." Xavier scooped the envelope toward him and into a drawer in his desk. "May I ask why you are staying with the Brotherhood if you haven't joined them?"

With a small sigh, Rogue told Xavier a short version of her barely remembered history, ending with, "Mystique is the only family I have left now. I have to give it the chance to work out. Staying at the House is the only way I know to do that."

Xavier nodded slowly, "I see. Well, if it should ever become necessary to leave, know that you will still have a place here."

"Thank you for the offer. I do need to ask a favor before I go."

"Yes?"

"I need to ask you to keep an ear out for dimensional travel mutants," Rogue said straight out. "There's a mutant named Joseph who's staying with us now who isn't from our world. He deserves to be able to go home if at all possible."

Xavier's eyebrows had arched upwards, but he nodded, "And how shall I contact you if I do find someone with that gift?"

"Piotr knows how to get a hold of me. If anything changes, I'll have him let you know."

"Very well," Xavier replied.

Having said and asked all that she came to, Rogue stood. "Thank you, Char… Professor."

There went the eyebrows again. "You're welcome, Rogue."

She turned to go, but couldn't help asking after the friend she hadn't seen for nearly a year. "Have you heard from Logan?"

Rogue knew Scott would have told her during one of their monthly calls if Logan had called or visited, but she also knew Xavier had other ways of contacting Logan that maybe he wouldn't share with Scott. And it wouldn't have been in character for Scott to be the one Logan tried to contact anyway.

"No, I haven't."

Rogue nodded to herself and made her way out of Xavier's office to meet up with Piotr in the hall.

"There was a rumor you were here," he said as he hugged her close. "I had to come see if it was true."

Keeping it brief, Rogue told her best friend what had happened to her as they walked slowly toward the main door of the school.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Piotr asked worriedly when she was done.

"For now," she said, admitting with her tone that she wasn't sure she would stay that way. "I'll tell Wanda to call you immediately if anything happens from now on. I have to go now, though. Mama's waitin for me."

Piotr extracted a promise for Rogue to call soon before letting her go.

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Rogue rolled over and stared out of her window. She had been trying without success to sleep for over two hours. Rogue supposed her lack of feeling tired was due to the fact that the invulnerability she had so recently gained had combined with Logan's healing factor and the two powers had finally caught up with the physical and psychological injuries she had received. She probably wouldn't have to sleep nearly as many hours as she used to. But what to do in the middle of the night?

Everyone else was asleep. Rogue had reached out psychically to make sure everything was as it should be an hour ago, still feeling guilty about everyone worrying so much about her. She seemed to have the uncanny ability to attract danger. She stifled a giggle when the fleeting thought that it might be part of her mutation crossed her mind.

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Rogue stood and stretched. She wasn't in the mood to work out in the DR, still not quite comfortable with her newly gained super strength. It would probably be a good idea to have supervision when exercising, at least until she got used to what she was now capable of.

Mystique would most likely volunteer for the duty. Her adoptive mother had been hovering since Rogue had returned to herself. And although it was slightly suffocating, Rogue was touched that the other woman cared that much. Her mind drifting once more to what had happened in the mission gone awry, Rogue decided to see what was on the disks Joseph had liberated from the lab. He had given them to Mystique once he had been given normal clothes, but Mystique had yet to go through the contents.

Trying to tiptoe to her mother's office and be as silent as possible, Rogue accidentally wound up flying slowly down the hallway, her body remaining vertical and her bare toes only a few inches off the ground. It surprised her at first, but she shrugged and remained in the air until she was in the office. Now was as good a time as any to practice.

When Rogue had settled at her mother's desk and turned on the computer, she picked up the data CDs and shuffled quickly through them. There were three labeled "Lab Surveillance" and Rogue decided to check one of them out first. She opened the CD drive and popped the disk in, waiting as the machine let out the slight whirring noise that indicated it was reading the new information. Luckily the data was in a standard video format that was playable on Mystique's computer.

The first video shocked Rogue. There was a man, obviously the mutant named Adam from what Joseph had told her of him and what was happening on the screen, being repeatedly mutilated. At first each cut or burn with various instruments was carefully measured and recorded by a lab tech along with the subsequent healing. But when they had what was apparently enough information about how fast the tied down man healed from various wounds, the man inflicting the wounds got sloppier, like he was just having a good time.

Rogue was thankful the video had no sound. From the contorted look on Adam's face and the amount of blood he lost and the depth and severity of the wounds, he must have been making soul-destroying screams for help or mercy. There was a directory of dates available, and with a sick feeling, Rogue next chose the date as the one she recognized as the termination date of the mutant known as Adam.

A few seconds later, she really wished she hadn't played it. Intellectually she had known that to kill someone like Adam, or Logan for that matter, would take something extreme, but she had never expected to see someone being dissected and dismembered while still alive. It was difficult to tell, but Rogue was pretty sure Adam had been alive through most of what they had done, until they had removed his head from what was left of his torso. Perhaps the worst part of the execution was the fact that it had been accomplished in full view of the cells the mutants had been kept in, Joseph forced to watch from inside his cell with the control collar in place, his face devoid of any color.

Rogue chose a date further back and confirmed that both Joseph and Adam had been forced to watch the woman named Charlie being killed, though her death had been accomplished by a simple bullet to the head.

_Enough_, Erik gently commanded in her mind. _You already have nightmares from what I saw in the concentration camps_. _You don't need to see any more of this_. _Just make sure your mother knows about it so she can get that place shut down legally_.

The Logan in Rogue's head grunted an affirmation, and Rogue thanked them for their protectiveness, taking the disk out of the computer and setting it aside to tell Mystique about in the morning. Also setting aside the other surveillance disks, Rogue chose a CD simply labeled "Data" next. There were three main files on this disk, and Rogue opened and scanned through each in order.

The first file pertained to Charlie, who because of her name and powers was assumed to be her dimension's version of Charles Xavier. Charlene Xavier had been a thirty-something children's psychologist with family money and political connections. None of that, of course, had been able to protect her from a dimension-hopping kidnapper.

Adam's was the second file. The lab's scientists had not been able to make a direct correlation between him and any of the known super healers, despite a brief reference to the name Wolverine. Oddly enough, Adam had been a doctor for the military where he came from. Rogue supposed the fact that he could brave the front lines of battle without too much of an ill effect had enabled him to help more soldiers than an ordinary man would have been able to.

Joseph's file was the last one. Rogue read the bare facts of his life with interest. He had been an only child going to law school until a drunk driver had hit the car he and his parents had been in. The accident had killed his parents, and at the age of twenty-two had triggered the rather late-in-life manifestation of his mutant powers. His hair had also turned white from the shock of the trauma. Facing more adversity in the political arena of law, Joseph had become a sculptor. Rogue made a mental note to ask Joseph about it the next day and moved on to the last paragraph. Although the believed connection between the two other captives and mutants in this dimension had been noted at the top of the other documents, Joseph's was at the bottom.

Rogue forgot to breathe for several minutes. A few months earlier, genetic material had become available for DNA testing, confirming Joseph Magnus' counterpart in their world. Joseph was his dimension's version of Erik Lensherr.

Joseph was Magneto.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Notes:** Thoughts are signified by 'these'. Emphasis and the voices in Rogue's head are in _italics_. Telepathic conversation is underlined.

I apologize wholeheartedly for the delay. RL sucks and I've gotten _way_ behind on all my WIPs. Hopefully some of you are still with me.

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Rogue covered her mouth with one hand and re-read the short paragraph three times, her eyes wide. But no matter how many times she scanned the words, they didn't change. She felt oddly lightheaded as she thought about the consequences of this knowledge. Joseph, the man who had helped her overcome the invading personality of Carol Danvers, the man who had gotten Carol off of her in the first place… the man she herself had saved from a guaranteed death in a few days' time, was genetically the same man as the one who had tried to kill her as part of his plot for mutant supremacy.

Her stomach twisted when Rogue remembered thinking he was handsome. She'd never been attracted to Magneto in the least.

'Did you know?' she demanded from Erik.

_He looks a bit like I did at that age, but my hair wasn't white or that long, _Erik paused. _And physically he's a lot more… _muscular_ than I was._

_Maybe physical fitness is important to him, maybe he don't use his powers for every little thing like you_, Logan cut in. _Not all of us have superiority complexes._

'Are you defending him?' Rogue asked in disbelief.

Logan grunted, _He did save you, kid. Makes anyone okay in my book._

'But he's… _him_,' she mentally pointed in Erik's direction.

_I've said my piece,_ Logan shrugged. _You have to make up your own mind about him._

Rogue cut off the mental conversation when she thought Erik was going to add something. She had enough to consider between the two real Magneto's without the one in her head getting in the way too.

"Marie? What are you doing up?" Mystique asked worriedly, moving into the room from the hall.

"I'm fine, Mama," Rogue answered with a fleeting smile. "I just couldn't sleep. But now that you're here, there's something you should see."

Rogue rolled the chair she was in to the side a little so Mystique had a clear shot at the computer screen. Joseph's profile was still open on the screen, and Mystique scanned through the material quickly, a soft sound of only-a-little-bit-surprised discovery escaping.

"Huh. Makes sense," the shape shifter muttered under her breath.

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"What do you mean by that?" Rogue asked in a timid voice.

Mystique turned her head and more carefully looked over her adopted daughter. Rogue was pale and looked wound tight, like the slightest thing might make her break. If knowledge of who Joseph was genetically made Rogue react this way, then the closeness the white-haired man had felt for Rogue must not have been one-sided. Mystique doubted she would have reacted this badly otherwise. Now though… Mystique knew it would take a lot for Rogue to even consider staying friends with the man she had rescued.

"When you were… unconscious, Joseph took charge," Mystique explained calmly. "At one point it struck me as slightly odd that I so easily followed his lead, but Magneto has always had that effect on me, so it makes sense that another version of him would as well."

Rogue nodded slowly.

"Is this going to be a problem?" Mystique asked when the younger woman didn't respond verbally. "We don't have to let him stay here if it's going to make you too uncomfortable."

Immediately shaking her head, Rogue answered, "No. He doesn't have anything or anywhere to go. No matter who he is, he still helped save me. I owe him that much."

"If you ever change your mind, let me know," Mystique said.

"I will," Rogue responded. When Mystique straightened and made to leave the room, Rogue added, "There's more you need to see… it'll help with getting the lab shut down."

As she watched the video files, Mystique felt her anger growing at the group that ran the facility. She also realized that not all of the way Rogue was behaving was because of who Joseph had turned out to be. And _this_ Mystique could actually help Rogue feel better about. There were some serious benefits to living the life of a wealthy and politically powerful man, even if it did take her away from the people she cared about.

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"I'm emailing you the files now," 'Senator Kelly's voice said into the phone. It amused Rogue to watch her adoptive mother speak in someone else's voice while keeping her own form. "I want this place shut down now, and I want the people responsible quietly brought to justice before the American people find out where some of their tax money has been diverted and for what reason." There was a pause as Kelly's contact in the Justice Department had his say, before Mystique spoke again, still in her borrowed identity. "I'd appreciate being informed when it's finished. Thank you."

Rogue looked at Mystique questioningly.

"A special task force is going to be sent in. They'll take custody of anyone there and begin an investigation of everything that was going on."

Rogue frowned. "Will they look for Joseph?"

"I don't know. According to the files we have the people in the lab only shot surveillance when an experiment or execution was taking place. There's a good chance the task force won't know whether he had been killed ahead of schedule and simply not filmed or if he escaped. In any case, they will have plenty of evidence without having to track him down for an eyewitness account. And this won't be an ordinary investigation and trial, anyway."

"So now what?" Rogue asked after a silent moment.

Mystique shrugged. "Now we decide what _we_ want to do about Joseph."

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Piotr was cleaning up after his first art class of the morning when one of the school's seniors, Kitty Pryde, timidly knocked on the open door. He turned to look at her and raised a questioning brow. Some of the more forward teenage female students tried to flirt with him on occasion, but this one had never sought him out outside the classroom setting. And although this was technically a classroom and he was her teacher, the art class Kitty took wasn't until the last period of the day.

"May I help you with something, Miss Pryde?"

He called all of his older students by their last names so no one could accuse him of favoritism or showing too much interest in someone he shouldn't. Piotr depended on this job to be able to send steady money back to his family in Russia, paintings didn't sell according to any regular pattern, and he liked having a place on the X-Team. He wasn't about to mess that up.

"You're good friends with Rogue, right?" she asked.

Piotr nodded, and Kitty rushed ahead.

"Cuz Jubilee and I were her roommates when she was living here, and I've been wondering if you could tell me how she's doing? I mean, ever since she brought Miss Danvers here yesterday, there have been all kinds of rumors about Rogue being a member of the Brotherhood and helping Mystique try to get Magneto out of jail and stuff, and Miss Danvers is telling anyone who will listen that Rogue attacked her and stole her powers on purpose."

Kitty finally stopped to take a breath, and Piotr demanded coldly, "And you believed her?"

The young woman took a step back at his tone and shook her head. "No, not really, I mean, Rogue didn't like her power. She didn't want to use it at all. So I was thinking that the only way that what Danvers said could be true is if Mystique was controlling Rogue somehow. And Rogue _is_ living with Mystique and the Brotherhood, isn't she?"

Piotr sighed. "Yes, she is, and Mystique is Rogue's adoptive mother. But she is not a member of their group. The encounter with Danvers was a misunderstanding of sorts when Danvers attacked Mystique without provocation. With Danvers using her super strength to nearly kill Mystique and still easily hold Rogue back, Rogue had no choice but to use her skin."

Kitty nodded her understanding, biting her lip thoughtfully. She walked back toward the open doorway, turning right before she exited to say with a friendly wave, "Thanks, Pete."

Piotr stared at the doorway long after she had disappeared, wondering why he had no problem with the cute brunette calling him by an Americanized nickname he'd never before had a preference for.

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When Joseph came down to breakfast the day after his rescue, dressed in clothes Avalanche had given him the night before, it was to find everyone but Mystique, who was not in the room, sitting on stools surrounding an island. They all looked up at him, except for Rogue who simply kept eating. He smiled a greeting but they simply nodded or turned back to what they had been doing, Pietro and Wanda giving him odd looks.

With minutes the others all excused themselves and Joseph sat down in the stool next to Rogue that Wanda had vacated. The curly-haired redhead was the last to leave, and she shot Rogue a look that Joseph could only identify as supportive before she headed for the door.

"The honeymoon over?" Joseph asked dryly when it was just he and Rogue left in the kitchen.

Rogue smiled briefly in acknowledgement of the joke, but she didn't laugh, and the smile faded more quickly than Joseph had expected it to.

"Something wrong, angel?" he asked cautiously.

"I hope not," she answered softly. "Joseph, I'm not sure how to tell you what I need to without offending you, so I'm just going to say it and hope you can understand where we're coming from."

After everything that had happened to him over the past year, starting with his kidnapping at the hands of a dimension-hopping mutant, Joseph couldn't help but immediately expect the worst. Joseph's heart sank at the prospect of never seeing Rogue again, but he could understand the Brotherhood wanting him out of the House since they knew nothing about him. They'd already done more for him than anyone else, aside from his parents, ever had. They had sheltered, fed and clothed him for a night in return for his helping Rogue, but he had already owed her his life (though he would have done anything in his power to help her even if that hadn't been the case) so he felt that he was still the one indebted, not them… and certainly not her.

"I'll be out of here by the end of the day," he said quietly.

"Joseph." He looked up at Rogue to find her frowning. "We're not kicking you out."

"You're not?" Joseph felt the tension leave his body.

Rogue shook her head, "No. But the others want me to read you so they know you're trustworthy. They…"

"Go ahead," he interrupted, keeping his tone calm and even to show her it wasn't a problem, that she didn't need to explain.

"Really?" she asked, clearly startled.

Joseph nodded and spoke intently. "If it was one of them, I might have hesitated, but I don't have anything I want to hide from you."

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Rogue blushed at Joseph's words and the intensity of his gaze. Erik and Logan were keeping their thoughts to themselves for once, but Carol was enjoying reminding Rogue of why it didn't matter how Joseph looked at her. Rogue knew that Joseph was attracted to her. Or at least she thought he was, and most of the inhabitants of her head agreed, especially when he continued to call her his angel. But a big part of her thought Carol might be right, that Joseph may just be very grateful to her for her part in his rescue.

Remy was a huge flirt, but although he made comments to her, calling her his "chere" as he did with other women, he never went beyond it. Rogue knew from observing him with other women that just because one of them might not be immediately interested, it never stopped Remy from sidling up beside them and coaxing their attention with soft touches. And not all of them were on the other women's skin, so why not touch her sleeve or some other covered part of her? If such a known player didn't want to make the effort, even if it was temporary, why would someone else? Not that she knew for a fact that Joseph _wasn't_ like that, but from her first impressions of him, she somehow doubted he had much in common with Remy.

She and Mystique had woken the others early that morning to let them in on what they had discovered about Joseph's identity as well as what was being done about the lab. They'd all been shocked, Pietro and Wanda understandably feeling odd about the idea of living with a man that genetically was identical to their father. But they had all agreed that if he was trustworthy, they shouldn't kick him out just for that. He had no place to go and nothing of his own, and he had helped Mystique and Rogue without asking anything in return. So Rogue had been asked to find out if he was trustworthy. She had at first balked at the idea, thinking they wanted her to touch him, putting yet another personality in her crowded mind. But they had simply wanted her to read him, using one of her borrowed powers and not her own dangerous one.

Joseph softly calling her name pulled her out of her own thoughts. She blinked and looked at him questioningly.

"Did you want to do this right here?" he asked. "Or would it be better for you if we sat somewhere more comfortable?"

"Here's fine," she responded, scooting the stool she was on closer to his and accidentally bumping knees with him.

Joseph smiled at her embarrassed apology. Rogue tensed slightly when Joseph reached toward her with both hands, but he simply took hold of the stool she was sitting on to pull her in closer, his legs spread just wide enough that hers fit snugly between them.

"Better?" he asked, now only inches away.

Rogue nodded mutely, confounded by the way she was feeling. Even though he wasn't touching her, Rogue could feel Joseph's presence surrounding her. And despite who she now knew he was, there was nothing menacing or otherwise negative about the sensation. It was almost like he was sheltering her. But because she _did_ know, Rogue wouldn't allow herself to enjoy it.

"I've never done this before," she told him before focusing her gaze on his eyes, leaning toward him unconsciously. "I guess it would be best if you just relax your mind."

You may need to relax, too, my angel, he observed gently, directly to her mind.

Rogue had nearly forgotten that he could do that, but she took it in stride and breathed deeply to calm herself, inadvertently filling her lungs with Joseph's clean, masculine scent. She entered his mind gently with hers, deciding to approach this as if he was one of the personalities in her head that she had to sort through in order to regain control. Rogue touched on Joseph's surface thoughts first, finding that as he had said, he was calm and accepting of the situation, as well as very glad that he wouldn't have to leave her… she abruptly delved into his memories, avoiding those from the last twenty-four hours so she wouldn't have to face whatever it was he felt about her.

The bare facts she had read in his bio file came to vivid life, showing her how much he had loved his parents and how devastated he had been after the collision that had killed them. How for a time he had wished his powers hadn't kicked in and formed a magnetic bubble around him that had stopped the metal of the car from crushing him. His disgust at the fact that though he had been lauded as one of the most promising law students of his year, once it was discovered that he was a mutant, too many doors were no longer open to him. But never once did he use his abilities to harm other people, even when confronting the man who had drunkenly killed his parents… though he had been sorely tempted.

Rogue watched as Joseph took out his frustrations at the shambles of his former life on a piece of junk metal, twisting and bending it so fast it was almost a metallic blur. But then he suddenly stopped, catching the metal when it fell from where he had been levitating it. Something about the shape in his hands reminded him of a piece of jewelry his mother had owned and almost always wore. Joseph began manipulating the metal again, this time with purpose, until his mother's face was captured in the alloy.

Joseph had found a peace in working to create things with his powers that he had never found in pursuing a law degree. One thing led to another and Joseph was soon earning a living selling metal sculptures, many of his buyers never knowing that the pieces he bought were created by force of will and not any sort of tool. He never hid the fact that he was a mutant, but he didn't volunteer the knowledge, either. So it came as a surprise to him when shortly after his twenty-sixth birthday another mutant attacked him, putting a control collar around his neck before Joseph could even try to protect himself. Joseph was taken through a vortex and into the lab where Rogue had met him. There he was examined, tortured and experimented on. Through things the guards and doctors said and talking to Charlie and Adam, the other mutants being held and experimented on, Joseph learned that all three of them had been brought from the same place to another dimension.

At first, there had been brief moments when the men holding him would take the collar off, but Joseph didn't try to escape, the men in the lab, the one in charge… Dr. Slaken… in particular, using the lives of his fellow captives as bargaining chips. But when one of the guards decided to have a bit of "fun" with Charlie when Joseph was awake and un-collared, Joseph snapped. For the first time, he learned that his control over magnetic fields could cause damage to the human brain. The guard died almost instantly from a brain aneurysm. It took Dr. Slaken a couple days to realize it hadn't been one of those freak things, but one of the _freaks_. By then, Joseph had discovered that less focus could cause others to fall unconscious. After a punishment that had tears streaming down Rogue's face just watching it, they never left the collar off while Joseph was awake.

Rogue was yanked back to the physical world suddenly, finding herself cradled against Joseph's chest, sobbing uncontrollably and shaking almost violently. Joseph was rocking her slightly, making soothing noises.

When she had calmed some, he whispered, "I'm sorry, angel. I didn't want you to see that. Things like that should never touch someone as good as you."

"Why didn't you kill them all once you found out you could?" she asked in a small voice a few minutes later.

Joseph looked at her, regret clear in his eyes, and answered, "Sometimes I really wish I had. But the first time was purely an accident, and I wasn't sure I could get them all before they got to Charlie or Adam. By the time they started executing us, there was never a time that I was awake and able to use my powers."

"I'm sorry, Joseph."

"Hey." He lifted her chin so their gazes met, and Rogue wondered idly where he'd gotten the gloves. "I know you're just sympathizing, but it's because of you that I was able to get out of there, that I'm even alive right now. You have nothing at all to be sorry about."

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**Two weeks later…**

"Better just park here, Pietro," Wanda commented as they passed a public parking lot three blocks from their destination. "The lot by the theatre has that weekly farmer's market today."

"Oh, right."

The Maximoff twins were accompanied by Rogue and Joseph. With only two more weeks until she had to go back to D.C., Mystique had calls to make and paperwork to get done and wasn't in the mood to hide her true form just to go out in public. Remy was once again out of town, none of them were really sure what for this time, but he was due back that night. Avalanche had declined to go to the movies with them because he was elbow deep in an oil change on a client's classic Impala. Wanda had suggested Rogue should invite Piotr, but it was the middle of the day on a weekday, and Rogue knew Piotr would be teaching his art classes.

The past two weeks had gone by quickly. After Rogue had reported to the others what she had found in Joseph's mind, they had relaxed slightly, willing to give him a chance to fit into their lives. Not to say that they now trusted him… they were still reserved in his presence. Joseph, for his part, was reading a lot of history and watching the news and the History Channel to come to grips with how his world differed from the one he now found himself in. Rogue never told him that she had asked Xavier to look out for a mutant that might help him get home, not wanting to raise his hopes unnecessarily. She found herself spending a lot of time with Joseph despite her nervousness when around him. They often read together in the library or watched TV at the same time in one of the family rooms. It had been Rogue that asked the others to allow Joseph access to the DR and the gym when she had noticed that he was running every morning as well as doing sit ups and other exercises on the lawn.

Wanda and Rogue had taken him to the mall a few days after he had arrived in order to get him clothes of his own as well as other essentials. He hadn't ventured off the grounds of the House much since then, and never alone, though he had come back alone once after Remy had dragged him to a pool hall and then left with a willing female. The Cajun had been unapologetic when Rogue had cornered him to chew him out for leaving Joseph alone, pointing out that the white haired man had made it back just fine. The thing Rogue had found the most odd about Joseph living with them was how very little he seemed to use his powers. In that way he was very much oppposite from Magneto.

Pietro found a spot in the public lot across from the town hall, and Wanda remarked as they all climbed out, "I wonder what that's all about."

There was quite a crowd of people in front of the town hall building, many holding picket signs. As they drew closer (the movie theatre was on the other side of the town hall), Rogue tensed. The signs made it clear that this was an anti-mutant protest, some of them saying things like "Mutant Registration Now," "Monsters Don't Have Rights" and "Protect Our Jobs and Our Children."

Hoping they wouldn't be noticed, Rogue and the others kept walking, hurrying slightly by unspoken agreement.

"They've gotta be muties, look at their hair!" someone suddenly yelled.

Rogue's eyes went wide. Her own hair was odd enough on its own, but next to a young man with pure white hair and another with silver? She glanced at the other three people with her. They had stopped walking as well, Rogue only just then noticing that she had done so. Wanda looked scared, Pietro was pissed if his scowl were any indication, and Joseph had moved closer to Rogue, a protective expression on his face.

"Just keep walking," Joseph said quietly.

Unfortunately the humans had moved closer to form a loose circle around the small group, and when Pietro and Wanda went to take a step, the circle closed in tighter, cutting off their means of escape.

That's when the verbal jabs and name-calling began.

"Where do you muties think you're going?"

"Freaks."

"Abominations."

"You think you can do whatever you want just because you have powers?"

"Demons."

"Poison."

Rogue flinched at that last one, since it did indeed apply to her, or her skin at least. She felt a hand gently squeeze her gloved one and glanced over at Joseph. He gave her hand another squeeze and shook his head minutely, telling her not to believe anything they said. Knowing the voices in her head, the ones that weren't on her side, got louder when she was feeling self-doubt or self-loathing, Rogue tamped down on her runaway thoughts. She was born this way, it was not her fault, nor did anyone have the right to take their prejudices out on her and her friends.

A man near Wanda suddenly pushed the witch, knocking her nearly off balance. Rogue watched, wide-eyed and unable to stop it, as Wanda panicked and used her power to push back. The man who had shoved her was picked up off the ground by red glowing light and thrown a good ten feet from where he'd been. He picked himself up almost immediately and pointed fiercely at Wanda.

"You see! She _is_ a mutie freak!"

A woman near him with a homemade sign smacked him with it. "This is supposed to be a peaceful demonstration! You're no better than them if you have to sink to their level."

The man snarled at his fellow protestor before yelling right back at her. Rogue's eyes grew wider as the crowd around them started taking sides in the argument. It wasn't long before the gathering of people resorted to shoving each other, and punches and more serious attacks soon followed. Rogue, Joseph, and the twins were not forgotten.

Pietro kept a firm hand around Wanda's arm, trying to protect his younger-by-two-minutes sibling by keeping her close. All of them were jostled and shoved, and Joseph was the first to be separated from their small group by a surge of protestors coming between him and Rogue. Before she could worry about him too much, Rogue was left alone in the surging mass of humans. A woman had reached to strike Wanda, and Pietro had reacted by scooping his sister into his arms and using his super speed to get them both out, casting an apologetic look in Rogue's direction before disappearing in a blur.

Real fear started to creep in on Rogue. She couldn't risk flying out of the crowd when she still wasn't completely comfortable with the power. There was no ceiling here to stop her if she did lose control. And though her clothes had protected the people hitting and pushing her so far, it was only a matter of time before someone touched the uncovered skin of her face. Rogue was really not looking forward to having a panicked, hate-filled mind added to the ones already in her head. The strongest three of whom were not exactly helping her in her current situation.

Carol was angrily telling her to take on the humans, to fight them all. Erik and Logan agreed with her in so far as making sure Rogue was able to get out of the melee without real injury, but Carol, still a fresh personality, was louder and angrier in Rogue's head than the two men. Rogue was going to have to focus heavily on something external if she was going to get through this without Carol getting a stronger hold in her mind.

Reaching out lightly with her borrowed telepathy, Rogue located Joseph several feet behind her. As she headed his way, squeezing through the now-rioting crowd, she picked up violent thoughts being projected loudly from a man.

'This will teach them,' the disturbed mind was thinking with malicious glee, 'the only good freak is a dead freak.'

Rogue's heart stopped momentarily as the image of a gun pointed at Joseph's unsuspecting back filled her mind. She began moving faster the last couple of feet, not hesitating to use her super strength to get people out of her way when she needed to. The dull gleam of dark metal caught her eye a second before she spotted Joseph's white hair. Inserting herself quickly between Joseph and his unseen assailant, Rogue couldn't help but flinch when the sound of the gun going off split the air. She watched in an oddly detached awe as the bullet struck her chest and bounced off.

The shooter's eyes bulged before he turned tail and disappeared into the crowd. Before she could attempt to go after him, Rogue was spun roughly around. Anxious eyes and hands traveled her torso as Joseph looked for a wound that wasn't there.

"Don't ever do that again!" he said sternly, almost yelling.

Rogue could picture him shaking her if they weren't in the middle of their current situation. It made her feel somehow ashamed of her actions, and _that_ made her angry.

"Joseph, I'm fine. I'm bulletproof; remember? Better a nasty bruise on me than a fatal wound on you!"

"No," he responded firmly. "It's never better for you to be hurt. Not to me."

"Well, _excuse me_ for trying to save your life again!"

Some of the tension drained from Joseph's face, and a short laugh curled the corners of his mouth. And just like that the situation seemed odd and almost comical. With their powers, she and Joseph alone could probably take out the whole crowd, and here they were acting like cornered rabbits and sniping at each other instead of getting out of the situation.

"I'm sorry I yelled," Joseph told her gently. "You're right, I do tend to forget that you don't need as much protection as someone would think by looking at you. But if something ever did happen to you that I could have prevented, I would never forgive myself."

Knowing he meant every word, Rogue felt her heart clench. Why did things have to be so complicated? "Joseph…"

She trailed away when Joseph's eyes widened and he mouthed the word "no," reaching forward to drag her to him. Joseph had thrown his right hand outward even as his left pulled her close, his gaze focused behind her. Rogue spun in the safety of Joseph's light hold, watching as a man with a metal bat was struck with his own weapon. When her would-be assailant collapsed to the ground, Rogue turned back to Joseph and smiled up at him.

"Thank you," she said.

He smiled, reluctantly letting go of her now that at least that danger had passed, "I'm just glad people have lost their appreciation for wooden bats."

Rogue laughed softly and nodded toward an opening in the rioting crowd, "Shall we?"

"Where are Wanda and Pietro?" he asked.

Rogue, never having let go of the light psychic touch she had established between them when she was looking for him, could feel that he was not quite as concerned about the brother and sister as he still was about her but nevertheless he felt the need to know that his other housemates were okay.

"Pietro carried Wanda out," she told him, already moving with him through the mass of people. "They're probably back at the car already."

Rogue's prediction proved true, and Wanda nearly burst into tears of relief when they approached the car looking none the worse for the wear. The slightly older young woman threw herself at Rogue, hugging her tight with no apparent thought to her own safety. Luckily her aim was accurate and clothing covered Rogue in all the places Wanda was touching her.

"You're both okay, right?" Wanda asked when she finally let go of Rogue. "You didn't have to touch anyone, did you? I'm so sorry, it's all my fault."

"Yes, we are, and no, I didn't," Rogue answered. "And it's not your fault, Wanda. You reacted to a bad situation. If it had been me, it would have been even worse for all of us."

Wanda nodded her acceptance slowly, peaking at Joseph to make sure he agreed with Rogue's assessment.

Joseph smiled reassuringly at Wanda before commenting, "Is there another movie theatre in close driving distance or are we giving up on the idea of seeing a movie?"

"I think we should just head back to the House," Rogue answered, still worried about Wanda.

"We can watch a DVD or see what's on Pay-Per-View," Pietro added. "I think we've had enough excitement for one day."

Joseph nodded, and they all got in the vehicle. Pietro sat in the back with his twin sister who was still obviously shaken, keeping an arm around her. Rogue drove simply because she had a driver's license and Joseph's forged papers from Mystique's contact hadn't come through yet. As Pietro had said, they'd already had enough excitement for the day; they didn't need to risk getting pulled over and Joseph being arrested.

Rogue wondered for a wild moment if Joseph would have the same fingerprints as Magneto if he were ever arrested. Yes, they were genetically identical, but so were identical twins and twins were born with separate sets of fingerprints.

Proving once again that he was always tuned into her on some level, Joseph laid a hand on her covered shoulder in an attempt to relieve her anxiety. He knew touch, although dangerous, was comforting to her. When she was safely stopped at a red light, Rogue turned her head and smiled at him.

Joseph smiled back at her warmly, sending contrasting sensations coursing through her body. A thrill shot up her spine but at the same time her stomach sank. Rogue faced forward again, the smile fading from her lips as she drove. The conflicting things she felt toward Joseph were driving her crazy. He seemed like such a nice, caring man, but he was Magneto. How did she reconcile who he was genetically with how he treated her and the others?

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Later that night, Joseph and Rogue were alone in the main family room. Rogue was at one end of the couch reading a book while Joseph sat in the middle watching the news. When the broadcast was over, he turned off the TV. Rogue looked up from her book and smiled softly at him.

"Gonna head up?" she asked absently.

"In a minute," Joseph responded. "I wanted to ask you something first."

Rogue marked her spot in the book with her finger before turning her attention fully in his direction.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go out and do something on Friday. We could go to a movie, or have dinner out. How about it?"

"I think Wanda might have plans," Rogue answered. "But we can ask everyone when a good day would be."

Joseph smiled indulgently. That wasn't what he meant. He'd been attracted to Rogue even before he'd opened his eyes and seen her, and it had only deepened in the short time he'd been living under the same roof with her. Joseph had been willing before to wait and see how things developed between them, not sure she felt even half as strongly about him as he did about her, but after what had happened that afternoon…

Knowing that she had taken a bullet for him, even if it couldn't really hurt her, and knowing that he would rather have taken it himself to spare her even a bit of discomfort had made him see that she meant even more to him than he had previously realized. And then he had come to the conclusion that he didn't want to wait, didn't want to risk something happening to either one of them before he got the chance to tell her how he felt. There was always a chance that a human could find a way around either of their powers, and he was sure there were more powerful mutants out there.

"No, angel, I meant just you and I. We could…"

"No. I can't. I'm sorry," she interrupted.

Rogue had spoken so quickly that Joseph wasn't sure he'd heard her right… he certainly hoped he hadn't. "What?"

"I can't go out with you, Joseph," she replied, a bit slower this time, though she still seemed flustered and anxious. "I'm sorry."

Before he could ask her why or whether he had been wrong in assuming she had felt the same connection between them that he had, Rogue got up and left the room. Joseph sank back further against the couch cushions. How could he have been so wrong? He sighed. Maybe he had just moved too fast for her, but he hadn't seen the point in wasting time. The only way to know how he had been so off track would be to wait and see if anything changed.

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Joseph walked into the kitchen three days later to find Rogue making a pot of coffee. She stared at him with a pained expression for a few moments before dropping her gaze.

"I'll be done in a minute," she told him.

There was a sharpness in her voice that showed him she had noticed his avoidance of her the past few days. But her refusal of him still hurt, and he wasn't going to apologize for needing to nurse his wounds or for the way he felt about her. Why did _she_ feel hurt anyway? She was the one who had said no.

Joseph moved around the kitchen, getting the things ready to make an omelet. Rogue simply stood in place, staring unblinkingly at the coffee machine. Until he had to reach past her to get a pan, his arm brushing her shoulder, inches above the tiny strip of bare skin between the bottom of her sleeve and the top edge of her glove. She jumped then.

"Careful," she cried softly.

He knew her well enough to know that she was scared for him, not herself. Joseph grasped her shoulders gently and turned her to face him, using her hair as a shield to lift her chin so their gazes met. There were tears swimming in her eyes, and Joseph felt them tug at his heart.

"Is this why you said no?" he asked in barely more than a whisper. "Because you think no one would really want to be with someone who can't touch skin to skin? I promise you, angel, that's not how I feel. I thought you knew that."

Rogue's breath hitched, and she ducked her head into his shirt. Her slim shoulders were shaking minutely, and Joseph wrapped his arms around her, letting her get out whatever it was that she'd been holding onto.

"That's part of it," she murmured after a few minutes.

"Are you going to tell me what else is stopping you?" he asked as gently as possible.

Rogue peaked up at him, biting her lip as she studied his face.

"Not yet," she choked out. "But I will, I promise."

Knowing he had to be satisfied with that much, Joseph nodded slowly. Rogue fidgeted, and Joseph dropped his arms from around her. If he was going to have an open and honest relationship with her, which he wanted more than anything, he was going to have to make the first steps himself.

Joseph watched silently as she poured herself a mug of the now-ready coffee before holding the pot up in his direction, asking without words if he wanted a cup. He shook his head and she returned the pot to the coffeemaker. After a soft, apologetic smile, Rogue turned to go. Joseph stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"He botherin' you, chere?" Remy's voice asked from the doorway.

The Cajun was glaring at the spot where Joseph's hand was holding Rogue's arm. The man with oddly colored eyes was a huge flirt, which made Rogue take him less than seriously most of the time, but Joseph had seen the protective way Remy sometimes looked at her. Maybe it was the fact that they were both Southerners, or maybe it was simply the fact that Rogue inspired protective feelings in people. Remembering how the housemates had reacted to the situation with Carol Danvers the first time Joseph had met them, Joseph was more inclined to believe it was the latter.

But Remy's immediate jumping to that conclusion made Joseph realize that Rogue was not the only one to start treating him differently after that first day. Did this mean it was just the way they normally behaved toward newcomers and that first day had been a fluke due to the circumstances? Or did something happen to change how not just Rogue but all of them viewed him? He could only wait until she was ready to share her reason with him to see if it was something that would have set the others off as well.

"No, Rem," Rogue answered. "He was just getting my attention. There's fresh coffee if you want some."

"Thanks, chere," Remy responded, immediately accepting her words at face value and moving across the kitchen to help himself to a morning dose of caffeine.

Joseph was still thoughtfully watching Remy, so he was slightly surprised by a tug on his arm. He glanced at Rogue, who motioned for him to follow her out of the kitchen. Together they made their way to the library, Rogue closing the door behind them.

"I assume there was something you wanted to say?" Rogue asked. "I'm sure the stuff you left out in the kitchen will keep for a few minutes."

Joseph nodded to both of her statements, choosing a seat facing hers when she sat down in a comfortable armchair, her coffee mug cradled gingerly in her gloved hands. He waited until Rogue had taken a few sips before beginning.

"Mystique told me a little about the different times you've used your power, and I have a theory about it," he began. "But I'd like to hear about all your experiences from your point of view."

Rogue leaned back further in her chair and sighed. "Alright."

She had to tell him first about the fact that her memory had been altered and still wasn't complete so that he understood that she couldn't remember _every_ time she had touched someone with her powerful skin. Rogue then related everything she _could_ remember about the different times her skin had touched someone else's. Her voice remained steady almost all the way through her tale, only breaking when she mentioned her death and revival on Liberty Island.

"Have you ever had to concentrate to take on someone's power?" he asked when she was done. "I think your skin may be tied into your emotional state, and if you were calm enough and didn't perceive yourself to be in any danger, you might be able to touch someone you trusted."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for example, you said you've always been able to touch Piotr. Have you ever _tried_ to take his power?"

Rogue shook her head.

"So, maybe something about Piotr's skin does make him less susceptible to your skin," Joseph continued. "But that doesn't mean he's completely immune. I think if you tried to, you could copy his ability."

"You're saying because I trust Piotr, it gives him an _extra_ protection against my skin?" When Joseph nodded in response to Rogue's question, she continued, "Then why did I take Logan's mutation both times I touched him? I trust Logan above anyone else."

Joseph felt a twinge of jealousy at her words. He knew from Mystique that Rogue had spent only a couple days with Logan and yet she trusted him completely. Joseph had been living in the same house with her for nearly two weeks now and there was still something coming between them that she wouldn't tell him about. The odd thing was that he would swear whatever it was hadn't been a factor the first day they'd met, the day she'd freed and saved him and he had helped save her. So what had changed? And more importantly, what could be done to fix it?

Logically, he knew that she felt an older-brother, hero-worship, deep-friendship type of affection for Logan, and that wasn't what he wanted to have with her for himself, but it didn't change the fact that there was someone who meant that much to her. Piotr, too, was more important to her than most of the other people in her life.

"Yes, but the first time I imagine you were scared out of your mind by the fact that someone you trusted had just accidentally skewered you. Plus your body knew you were dying, that you needed his power." Rogue was nodding slowly, and Joseph continued. "The second time it took time to kick in because you were nearly… gone. Logan was pushing not only his power into you, but also his will to live."

"You're right," she said softly, that faraway look in her eyes that signified one of the voices in her head was talking to her. "Cody and David were both a 'first kiss' situation that I was nervous about, that on top of my power manifesting right then made me react badly. From what I can remember of my life with Mama and Irene, the times I touched them didn't truly hurt them; I certainly never put either of them in a coma. And when Magneto was trying to give me his power, I think I might have fought back a little. He held on for a long time, but it didn't drain him as much as it did Logan. I was terrified, more scared than I'd ever been, but I also didn't want to let him use me to hurt other people."

Joseph smiled gently at her, once again amazed at how much she put other people before herself.

"Could it really be true?" Rogue murmured to herself, setting her mug on the small end table by her chair before standing. Her eyes fell on his watching face and cleared. "I can't risk it. The only one I could test it on safely is Logan, and I don't know when I'll see him next."

"It's something to consider, at least," he said gently as she turned slightly away from him, not able to keep from feeling disappointed that even with the protection of his slower healing factor she wasn't willing to try it on him. "And if it does turn out to be true, you may be able to work on it and eventually get to the point where you could touch anyone with a bit of concentration."

Rogue paced back and forth several steps, a thoughtful frown furrowing her brow. Joseph remained silent, letting her work through what she thought of his theory on her own. She finally stopped pacing with a deep sigh, turning back toward him, though she didn't look directly at him.

"Please don't tell my mother about this," she begged softly.

Joseph frowned, "If you don't want me to say anything to anyone, I won't, it isn't anyone's business but yours. But why don't you want me to tell Mystique?"

Rogue met his gaze, sorrow clear in her expressive eyes, "Because I don't think I can _ever_ fully trust her."


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